EU commercial vehicle registrations continue growth

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Commercial vehicle registrations across the EU continued to grow in November despite a downturn in pace.

Commercial vehicle registrations across the EU continued to grow in November

Commercial vehicle registrations across the EU continued to grow in November

Figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show registrations in November rose 2.5%, mainly driven by the light commercial vehicle and the heavy truck segments. Among the five big markets, Spain (+15.3%), France (+9.2%) and Germany (+6.1%) performed very well, while the UK (-11.8%) and the Italian (-10.0%) markets had weaker results compared to November last year.

For the first 11 months of the year, almost 2.2 million new vehicles were registered – up 3.9% compared to the same period in 2016. Spain continued to drive growth (+15.1%), followed by France (+7.8%) and Germany (+3.6%). On the other hand, UK demand fell (-4.6%) over this period.

Within the LCV sector up to 3.5 tonnes, November figures were up 3.3% in 2017, although results were varied. Spain (+18.4%), Germany (+8.5%) and France (+6.2%) were up while demand contracted in both the UK (-11.1%) and Italy (-9.4%).

For the first 11 months of 2017, more than 1.8 million new vans were registered across the European Union, up 4.6% compared to the same period in 2016. Spain (+17.4%), France (+8.3%) and Germany (+5.2%) maintained momentum, while demand for light commercial vehicles declined in the UK (-4.1%) and Italy (-0.7%).

For new medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, November 2017 registrations remained stable, totalling 32,787 new units. Truck demand declined in the United Kingdom (-14.0%) and Italy (-13.5%), while it increased in Germany (+6.3%).

The YtD performance also remained stable with 337,827 new trucks registered in the EU – up +0.3%. Italy (+7.5%) and France (+6.5%) fared well but truck registrations decreased in the UK and Germany (-5.6% and -0.5% respectively).

Looking at heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16 tonnes and over, November registrations grew by 2.2% compared to the same month in 2016, with 26,727 units registered. Results were diverse across the five big EU markets, with registrations falling in the UK (-18.3%), Italy (-4.1%) and Spain (-1.0%), while demand strongly increased in Germany (+16.2%) and France (+14.3%).

Registrations were up +1.1% for the first 11 months of the year to 273,839 new vehicle registrations. The Italian market saw the strongest gains (+11.4%), followed by France (+6.8%). Demand for heavy commercial vehicles remained relatively stable in Spain (-0.2%) and declined in the UK (-6.0%).

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for nearly 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day. Natalie edits all the Fleet World websites and newsletters, and loves to hear about any latest industry news - or gossip.