EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations up 0.1% in November

ACEA reports commercial vehicle registrations are down 20.3% so far in 2020.

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In November 2020, the EU market for commercial vehicles posted a very modest increase, with new registrations up 0.1% to 167,315 units, reports the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). 

Total new commercial vehicles

Demand for vans and buses slowed down last month, while the truck segment contributed positively to the region’s result. The four biggest markets posted a mixed performance in November, with registrations contracting in Spain (-7.0%) and France (-3.1%), while Italian (+11.7%) and German (+4.3%) markets expanded.

At 1.5 million units eleven months into the year, commercial vehicle registrations in the European Union are now down by 20.3%. All EU27 markets – including the four major ones – have recorded double-digit declines so far in 2020, although less steep than in the preceding months: Spain (-28.4%), France (-18.4%), Germany (-16.3%) and Italy (-15.6%).

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t

In November, demand for new light commercial vehicles in the EU remained stable (-0.5%) compared to one year ago. Results in the EU’s top four markets were mixed: registrations in Italy and Germany were positive, growing by 10.3% and 6.2% respectively, while LCV demand contracted in Spain (-8.1%) and France (-3.8%).

From January to November 2020, new van registrations declined by 18.7% across the European Union, now standing at 1.3 million units. Spain recorded the sharpest drop (-28.8%) so far this year, while losses were less strong in France (-17.6%), Italy (-15.4%) and Germany (-13.4%).

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

Last month, the EU market for heavy trucks improved, with new registrations up by 6.0% to 20,620 units. Central European countries (+28.6%) largely contributed to this result. Among the largest Western European markets however, only Italy (+28.5%) managed to post growth.

So far in 2020, 181,590 new heavy commercial vehicles were registered across the European Union, a decline of 29.6% compared to 2019. Despite last month’s positive performance, each of the 27 EU markets recorded double-digit drops so far this year, including Germany (-28.6%), France (-27.9%), Spain (-23.9%) and Italy (-14.2%).

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

In November 2020, demand for new medium and heavy trucks posted a modest upturn (+3.7%), benefiting from the positive performance of the heavy-duty segment (which makes up the bulk of total truck demand). As for the biggest EU markets, Italy recorded the strongest gain (+21.7%), followed by France (+1.3%) which posted a more modest growth. By contrast, MHCV registrations slid 3.0% in Germany and 1.0% in Spain.

Eleven months into the year, registrations of new trucks declined sharply across the European Union including in the four major markets: France (-26.2%), Germany (-26.1%), Spain (-23.3%) and Italy

(-15.1%). This contributed to a cumulative retreat of 27.7% to a total of 226,427 trucks registered so far in 2020.

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

In November 2020, new bus and coach registrations in the EU slid back by 5.1% compared to November last year. Although all major Western European markets – Italy (+27.0%), France (+13.4%), Germany (+11.6%) and Spain (+5.8%) – posted positive results, Central European countries (-22.6%) dragged down the overall performance of the region.

From January to November 2020, EU demand for buses and coaches contracted by 23.5%, counting 25,532 new registrations in total. Among the largest EU markets, Spain (-41.3%) and Italy (-27.3%) continued to struggle 11 months into the year, while losses were more limited in France (-9.5%) and Germany (-2.4%).

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