EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations Increase 9% in May

ACEA reports EU commercial vehicle registrations rose 9.0% in May compared to the same period last year, with gains in all markets except the UK.

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ACEA

In May 2017, EU commercial vehicle demand recovered after April’s decline. In total 204,770 vehicles were registered, 9.0% more than in the same month last year.

Total new commercial vehicles

Registrations grew across all segments, from vans to trucks and buses. All major EU markets performed well, apart from the United Kingdom, which posted a modest decline (-2.6%). Spain and Germany saw the highest percentage gains (+19.3% and +13.2% respectively), followed by the Italian (+9.2%) and French (+7.9%) markets. In total, 204,770 commercial vehicles were registered in May.

Five months into the year, the EU market expanded by 4.6%, counting almost 1 million new commercial vehicles registered. During that period, Spain (+15.5%) posted the strongest results, followed by Italy (+7.8%), France (+7.0%) and Germany (+4.3%). The UK market contracted (-3.8%) over these 5 months.

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5 tonnes

In May 2017, new registrations of light commercial vehicles in the EU totaled 168,958 units, up 8.4% compared to the same month in 2016. Spain (+21.1%), Germany (+11.6%), Italy (+9.2%) and France (+7.6%) all recorded substantial increases, while the United Kingdom saw demand for vans decrease (-5.3%).

From January-May 2017, 821,534 new vans were registered in the EU, 5.0% more than last year. The United Kingdom (-5.0%) was the only major market where demand fell. Spain (+18.2%), France (+7.6%), Germany (+5.2%) and Italy (+5.1%) all posted substantial increases.

New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) over 16 tonnes

May 2017 results show a strong increase in the heavy truck segment (+13.5%), with 26,572 new vehicles registered in the EU. The UK and French markets did very well in May, they went up by 22.6% and 15.0% respectively, while demand for heavy trucks fell slightly in Spain (-0.5%).

During the first 5 months of 2017, the EU market grew by 2.9%, reaching 125,575 heavy trucks registered. All five big markets posted growth during this period, except for Spain (-4.2%). The Italian market posted the strongest upturn – registrations were 28.3% higher than in the same period 1 year ago.

New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5 tonnes

In May 2017, truck registrations went up again after the slowdown observed in April. The UK (+17.4%), Germany (+16.7%) and France (+14.8%) posted double-digit gains, making a significant contribution to the overall upturn in the region. In total, 32,560 new trucks were registered in the European Union, up 12.4% compared to May 2016.

From January to May 2017, 154,347 new trucks were registered in the EU, 2.5% more than last year. Just like in the HCV segment, four of the five big markets posted growth, while demand fell in Spain.

New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5 tonnes              

In May 2017, 3,252 new buses and coaches were registered across the region, up 4.1%. Demand fell in France (‐33.6%) and the UK (-2.5%), while Italy (+71.6%), Germany (+28.4%) and Spain (+14.7%) all posted strong growth.

Five months into the year, the EU bus and coach market grew by 4.2%, counting 16,366 vehicles registered. Demand decreased in France (-20.2%) and the United Kingdom (-1.8%), but new bus and coach registrations went up in Italy (+48.5%), Spain (+13.7%) and Germany (+13.4%).

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