In September 2017, commercial vehicle registrations across the EU remained stable (+0.6%) compared to 1 year ago.
Total new commercial vehicles
Performances were diverse across the CV segments, with registrations of vans showing a modest increase (+2.1%) but demand for new trucks and buses falling (-6.5% and -9.9% respectively). Spain and Germany were the only markets among the big five to post growth (up 7.8% and 5.5%), while the United Kingdom (-6.0%) and Italy (-1.0%) performed less well than in September last year.
Over 9 months in 2017, demand for new commercial vehicles remained positive in the EU, with almost 1.8 million new vehicles registered – up 3.3%. Spain continued to drive growth (+14.4%), followed by France (+6.5%), Germany (+2.2%) and Italy (+1.6%). By contrast, CV registrations declined in the United Kingdom (-3.3%) so far in 2017.
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5 tonnes
September 2017 results show a slight acceleration (+2.1%) in EU demand for vans compared to August (+0.1%). The Spanish and German markets recorded the strongest gains (+10.9% and +9.9% respectively), while LCV demand contracted in the UK (-4.2%) and in Italy (-1.3%).
Nine months into the year, 1,479,060 million new light commercial vehicles were registered across the region, up 4.0% compared to the same period in 2016. Spain (+16.4%), France (+7.1%) and Germany (+3.5%) contributed positively to the EU’s performance, while the UK (-3.1%) was the only major market posting a decline.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16 tonnes and over
In September 2017, demand for heavy commercial vehicles declined by 6.3% to 25,598 vehicles. Almost all major EU markets posted declines, especially the United Kingdom (-19.4%) and Spain (-11.8%). The only exception was Italy, where registrations went up by 1.2% when compared to September last year.
So far in 2017, the HCV market increased only modestly (+0.4%), totalling 218,489 new heavy trucks registered. Italy saw the highest growth (+14.8%), followed by France (+4.2%) and demand remaining relatively stable in Germany (-0.5%) and Spain (-0.02%).
New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5 tonnes
September 2017 new truck registrations were lower than in September 2016, mostly the result of significant declines in all five big EU markets. 31,109 vehicles were registered in total, down 6.5% compared to September 1 year ago.
From January to September 2017, 270,609 new trucks were registered in the EU, a rather stable result compared to last year. Just like in the HCV segment, Italy (+12.2%) and France (+4.2%) did very well, while truck registrations went down in the UK and Germany (-2.7% and -1.6% respectively).
New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5 tonnes
In September 2017, demand for new buses and coaches declined (-9.9%) after a 17.8% upsurge in August. Demand contracted strongly in the United Kingdom (-29.6%) and France (-14.3%), although the Italian market posted strong figures (+33.7%).
Over 9 months in 2017, the EU bus and coach market grew modestly (+1.7%), counting 30,145 new vehicles registered. Demand decreased in the UK and France (-14.8% and -11.7% respectively), while new bus and coach registrations posted double-digit gains in Italy (+41.8%) and Spain (+12.1%).