April data shows that registrations rose 12.2%, totalling 169,746 units. Growth was sustained across all commercial vehicle segments. The UK (+22.8%) and Spain (+18.5%) posted double-digit growth, followed by Italy (+9.0%), Germany (+7.0%) and France (+1.4%).

Four months into the year, the EU market expanded by 13.0%, totalling 671,701 commercial vehicles. Over the period, Spain (+35.2%), the UK (+23.9%) Italy (+7.6%) and Germany (+7.1%) all posted growth, while France remained stable (+0.01%).

For new light commercial vehicles up to 3.5t – ‘vans’ – registrations last month totalled 139,598 units, up 11.8% compared to April 2014. This marked the 20th consecutive month of growth in this segment. The UK (+20.9%), Spain (+17.6%), Germany (+11.9%) and Italy (+8.8%) contributed positively to the upturn, while France was only major market to record a slight decline (-0.3%).

From January to April 2015, 558,419 new vans were registered in the EU, or 13.1% more than in the same period last year. All major markets saw their demand for vans increase over this period, especially Spain (+36.2%), the UK (+22.0%) and Germany (+10.9%), which posted double-digit growth.

For new heavy commercial vehicles over 16t (excluding heavy buses & coaches) – ‘heavy trucks’ –

April 2015 results showed a 20.8% increase in new heavy truck registrations, totalling 21,543 units. This positive outcome was mainly sustained by the significant growth recorded in the UK (+79.2%), Spain (+38.6%) and France (+24.1%). Noteworthy was the contribution of the new EU member states (+32.2%) to last month’s positive outcome.

Four months into the year, the EU market grew by 17.0%, reaching 82,039 units. The UK (+70.6%), Spain (+26.7%), Italy (+12.1%) and Germany (+2.3%) saw their demand for heavy trucks increase, while the French market remained stable (+0.3%). The impressive growth recorded in the Netherlands (+105.8%) persisted during this period.

For new medium & heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5t (excluding buses & coaches) – ‘trucks’ – in April, 26,883 new trucks were registered in the EU, up 15.0% compared to the same month last year. Among major markets the UK (+52.3%), Spain (+25.7%) and France (+16.2%) posted double-digit growth, while Italy remained stable and Germany (-3.8%) performed less well than in April 2014.

From January to April 2015, results for trucks were diverse, with France (-2.8%) and Germany (-1.8%) performing less well than in the same period last year, while Spain (+23.3%) and the UK (+47.0%) recorded significant increases. Overall, the EU recorded 101,107 new trucks, or 11.9% more than in April 2014.