European CV registrations down by 32.4% in 2009

ERJ staff report (DS)

Brussels -- new commercial vehicle registrations in Europe declined by 32.4% compared to 2008, affecting all segments and all countries. In total, 1,706,996 vehicles were registered throughout the year.

December registrations decreased by 10.6%, reflecting a more moderate drop in demand for vans than in the months before.

In the segment of heavy trucks, 164,645 new trucks were registered in 2009, or 47.9% less than in 2008. Among the largest markets, the Netherlands contracted by 36.2%, France and Germany by 40.7%, the UK by 44.9%, Italy by 50.4%, Poland by 61.2% and Spain by 66.6

in December, the sector fell by 39.4% composed of a 42.6% decrease in Western Europe and ?14.2% in the new EU Member States.

Smaller trucks (up to 16 tonnes) saw a slightly less marked decline, with 245,915 new trucks registered. The 40.2% decline in Western Europe and the 63.6% drop in the new EU Member States resulted in an overall 43.8% downturn. Compared with 2008, the Netherlands (-35.5%) performed best, followed by Germany (-36.5%), France (-37.5%), the UK (39.5%), Italy (-44.6%), Poland (-54.9%) and Spain (-62.0%).

The month of December showed a 33.9% decrease in truck registrations in Europe. Of the most important markets, ?only Poland grew (+4.6%) while Italy (-47.6%), the UK (-46.9%), France (39.8%), Spain (-23.6%) and Germany (-22.9%) contracted significantly.

In the van sector, new registrations for the year totaled 1,421,770 units, or 30.3% less than in 2008. The decrease was 27.9% in Western Europe and 49.7% in the new EU Member States, ranging from -18.8% in France to -77.7% in Latvia.

Demand for vans was down 6.3% in December, amounting to 126,703 units and mainly driven by West ?European markets (-1.4%). While Spain (+19.7%) posted growth for the second consecutive month, France (+15.3%) recorded its first positive figure in December and also ended the year in the plus, unlike Italy (-0.8%), the UK (-14.4%) and Germany (-17.3%).

In 2009, new bus and coach registrations amounted to 39,311 units, or 19.5% less than in the previous year. France was the only important market to post growth (+12.4%) as the downturn hit Germany (-4.7%), the UK (-23.5%), Spain (-23.8%) and Italy (-27.4%).

New registrations of buses and coaches were down 12.1% in December. The French and German markets ?expanded by 49.5% and 22.3% respectively, while Italy (-41.5%), the UK (-22.6%) and Spain (-14.8%) saw the number of new registrations decrease.

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Press release from ACEA