EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations Increased 6.2% in July and 11.0% in August

New data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows commercial vehicle registrations increased significantly in July and August (+6.2% and +11.0%, respectively). This was the eighth consecutive month of growth in the EU.

Total new commercial vehicles

The van segment supported these results to a large extent, as truck and bus registrations fell sharply during the summer months. The United Kingdom (+29.8%) and Germany (+13.0%) saw the strongest gains last month, while Spanish (-2.6%) and French (-1.9%) sales slowed down compared to August 2018.

Over the first 8 months of 2019, EU demand for new commercial vehicles grew by 6.5%, with more than 1.7 million vehicles registered across the region. Germany led this growth with an increase of 13.6%, followed by the UK (+11.3%), France (+6.5%), Italy (+4.3%) and Spain (+2.1%).

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t

In August 2019, registrations of light commercial vehicles showed solid growth, up 17.5% compared to the year before. With the exception of Spain, each of the five big EU markets posted positive results in August, especially the United Kingdom (+41.0%) and Germany (+19.0%) – both of which saw double-digit gains last month.

Eight months into the year, the EU market for new vans expanded by 6.2% thanks to very strong demand during the summer months of July and August. The EU’s five major markets performed well so far this year: Germany (+14.0%), the UK (+11.3%), France (+6.2%), Italy (+6.1%) and Spain (+2.4%).

New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16t and over

After 6 months of consecutive growth in 2019, culminating in a 46.9% increase last June, EU heavy truck registrations suffered notable drops in July (-25.1%) and August (-21.8%). As a result, all of the large EU markets posted double-digit declines last month.

From January to August 2019, the heavy truck market of the European Union expanded by 7.7%, despite the declines recorded in the summer. The UK (+19.3%), France (+11.3%) and Germany (+11.1%) contributed positively to the region’s growth. By contrast, demand for heavy-duty vehicles slowed in Italy (-5.1%) and Spain (-1.1%) during the same period.

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

August 2019 truck results were significantly lower (-19.0%) than the year before. Declines were recorded in every major EU market − with Spain (-32.2%), Italy (-22.4%), the United Kingdom (-20.1%) and France (-16.4%) posting double-digit drops.

During the first 8 months of the year, demand for new trucks across the EU saw considerable growth (+8.0%), even though July and August figures were negative. The UK (+16.8%), Germany (+13.2%) and France (+10.1%) were the main drivers behind this increase, as truck registrations declined slightly in Italy (-4.8%) and Spain (-1.8%).

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

In August 2019, EU registrations of buses and coaches decreased by 10.3% compared to last year. Mixed results were posted by the big markets, with Spain performing very strongly (+140.0%) and double-digit declines being recorded in the United Kingdom (-41.6%) and France (-13.6%).

Eight months into the year, demand for new buses and coaches remained positive (+3.8%), although sales dropped during the summer period. So far, this growth was largely driven by the Central European markets (+15.8%). Among the major Western European ones, only Spain (+9.5%), Germany (+2.1%) and France (+1.6%) managed to post slight gains.