European truck sales on the rise

ERJ staff report (DS)

Brussels -- New registrations for commercial vehicles in the EU increased by 5.4 percent in July and 10.1 percent in August, with growth in all segments except buses & coaches, according to data from ACEA, the European federation of vehicle makers. Eight months into the year, new commercial vehicle registrations amounted to 1,129,166 units, or 4.9 percent more than over the same period a year ago. Compared to the pre-crisis levels of 2008, cumulative results over January-August were still down by 35 percent.

In the heavy truck segment, Eight months into the year, the market of heavy trucks contracted by 9.1 percent. Of the most significant markets, only Spain (+12.1 percent) and Germany (4.1 percent) posted growth, while Italy (-12.5 percent), the UK (-13.7 percent) and France (-20.0 percent) were down. The month of August saw positive results in the majority of countries, including major ones. Germany (+54.4 percent), Spain (+45.5 percent) and Italy (+40.5 percent) performed better than in the same month last year, as did the UK (+17.4 percent) and France (+12.2 percent). In July, 14,051 new heavy trucks were registered in the EU*, or 18.2 percent more than in July 2009.

Mid-sized trucks saw the same pattern. Cumulative results from January to August showed a 7.4 percent decrease with a total of 151,072 trucks registered. Among the most important markets, Germany (+4.4 percent) and Spain (+6.1 percent) posted growth, while the British (-11.3 percent), Italian (-12.8 percent) and French (-16.2 percent) markets performed less well than in the first eight months of last year. In August, all major markets posted growth, ranging from 5.7 percent in the UK to 6.5 percent in France, 28.4 percent in Italy, 30.8 percent in Spain and 37.0 percent in Germany, resulting in an overall 23.7 percent upturn in the EU. In July, the segment of trucks was up 11.9 percent with contrasting results across countries. Germany recorded a double-digit growth (+25.7 percent), while France registered a 4.0 percent downturn.

In the light truck (van) segment, from January to August, the EU* registered 956,413 new vans, or 7.7 percent more than over the same period last year. The UK recorded a 16.8 percent increase, followed by Spain (+15.9 percent). France (10.9 percent), Germany (+11.4 percent) and Italy (+11.6 percent) performed similarly. In August, Spain was the only significant market to record a decrease (-12.4 percent). Elsewhere, growth ranged from +3.9 percent (Italy) to 11.4 percent (France), 12.6 percent (Germany) and 15.5 percent (UK). In July, the segment of vans expanded by 5.3 percent, totaling 116,371 new units. Of the major markets, Italy (-3.7 percent) and Spain (-9.7 percent) contracted, while Germany (+6.4 percent), France (+13.3 percent) and the UK (+25.2 percent) all posted growth.

New bus and coach registrations were down both in July (-28.4 percent) and August (-12.4 percent). Eight months into the year, the UK (-9.3 percent) was the most important market in units registered, closely followed by France (-18.0 percent).

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Press release from ACEA