Demand for new commercial vehicles in February was down for the fourteenth consecutive month in the EU*. The decline affected all vehicle segments in a similar way. Looking at the major markets, France (-12.3%), Germany (-14.4%), Spain (-19.5%) and Italy (-31.3%) all faced a downturn. The UK, thanks to positive results in the van segment, was the only one to post growth (+4.2%). In total, 109,331 new vehicles were registered in the month. In the first two months of the year, the UK market expanded by 4.9%, while the French (-11.1%), German (-15.0%), Spanish (-17.6%) and Italian (-27.3%) contracted significantly, leading to an overall 11.9% decline and 235,459 new registrations.
New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – “vans”
In February, new van registrations decreased by 13.3%, amounting to 89,964 units. France (-12.0%), Germany (-16.4%), Spain (-18.3%) and Italy (-31.9%) recorded negative results, while demand was sustained in the UK (+11.8%). From January to February, 193,085 new vans were registered in the EU*, or 11.4% less than in the same period last year. The decline ranged from -10.7% in France to -15.1% in Germany, -18.3% in Spain and -28.7% in Italy. The UK recorded 11.9% more vans than in the first two months of 2012.
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “heavy trucks”
The heavy truck segment shrank by 12.4% in February, with a total of 13,320 new vehicles. All significant markets contracted, although at various degrees. Germany saw its demand fall by 8.9% and the UK by 11.0%, while the decrease was sharper in France (-18.4%), Italy (-23.8%) and Spain (-25.3%). Two months into the year, major markets performed quite similarly with negative results ranging from -16.0% in Germany to -16.2% in Italy, -16.8% in France and -17.5% in both Spain and the UK. Overall, the region registered 28,851 new heavy trucks, or 15.7% less than in the same period a year earlier.
New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”
In February, the EU* recorded 17,620 new trucks, or 13.3% less than in February 2012. The number of new registrations was down 9.8% in Germany, 15.6% in the UK, 17.7% in France, 26.1% in Italy and 27.0% in Spain. From January to February, Germany (-15.0%) remained the largest market with 10,435 new trucks, followed by France (6,738 units; -16.3%), the UK (4,754 units; -18.9%), Italy (2,136 units; -19.9%) and Spain (1,811 units; -17.7%). In total, 37,950 new trucks were registered, which represented a 15.4% decrease compared to the first two months of last year.
New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t
February results in the segment of buses and coaches showed an 11.2% decline of new registrations compared to February 2012. The German market was stable (+0.0%), while the French grew by 31.4%. Italy (-24.2%), the UK (-24.6%) and Spain (-25.8%) faced a double-digit downturn. In the first two months of 2013, results were diverse across markets, leading to a slight overall increase in the region (+0.5%) with a total of 4,424 new vehicles. The UK recorded the biggest decline among the major markets (-13.5%), although remaining the largest one. Germany (-9.8%) and Italy (-3.3%) also saw their demand shrink, while Spain (+14.0%) and France (+15.1%) posted growth.
* Data for Malta unavailable
