ACEA

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES: Registrations down 35.6% over three quarters

New commercial vehicle registrations in Europe* were down 27.7% in September compared to the same month in 2008, declining for the seventeenth consecutive month. With the same number of working days in September 2008 and 2009, no calendar effect occurred. Three quarters into the year, Europe* totaled 1,270,241 new vehicle registrations, or 35.6% less than in the first nine months of last year.

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – “vans”

In September, new registrations of vans were down 21.5% in Western Europe and 57.7% in the new EU Member States, resulting in an overall decline of 25.4%. Among the major markets, Italy performed best (-13.0%) followed by France (-18.8%), Spain (-20.8%), the UK (-22.4%) and Germany (-22.6%). In the new EU Member States, the Czech market, which was the largest last year, was hit the hardest and shrank by 80.8%. Poland managed best to cushion the drop (-33.7%) and registered the most vehicles in the region. From January to September, new registrations declined by 34.4%. The downturn hit the new EU Member States (-50.9%) more severely than Western Europe (-32.4%). France (-23.1%), Germany (-26.3%) and Italy (-26.4%) fared better than the UK (-40.8%) and Spain (-44.5%) while the Polish market contracted by 27.4% and the Czech by 65.6%.

New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “heavy trucks”

The September results in the segment of heavy trucks showed a 42.2% decline in Europe*, with unequal performances in Western Europe (-38.7%) and the new EU Member States (-66.3%). The UK was the largest market and the only one to post growth (+26.8%). Germany (-55.4%), Italy (-55.1%) and France (-49.1%) were severely affected by the crisis while Spain (-36.3%) and the Netherlands (-36.6%) were also down. Poland remained the most important market in the new EU Member States despite a 45.6% downturn. Three quarters into the year, new heavy truck registrations were down 47.3% in Europe*. Western Europe recorded a 43.0% fall compared to the same period last year. The Netherlands (-30.0%), the UK (-37.7%), France (-38.5%), Germany (-41.8%), Italy (-49.6%) and Spain (-72.2%) all recorded a decrease. In the new EU Member States, Poland (-67.2%) and the Czech Republic (-61.4%) saw their markets contract the least compared to the other countries in the region.
New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”

New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”

New truck registrations amounted to 23,841 units in September, which is 39.4% less than in the same month last year. In Western Europe, markets were down 36.4%. The UK stood out with the only positive figure (+5.4%) and the most vehicles registered. Germany followed closely in absolute figures despite the sharpest downturn recorded among the major markets (-50.4%). Spain was down 30.9%, France 46.3% and Italy 48.9%. In the new EU Member States, the overall decrease reached 61.7%. Nine months into the year, the European* market contracted by 43.2%. Looking at the major markets, the UK was down 34.6%, France 35.3%, Germany 37.1%, Italy 43.7% and Spain 67.3%. Western Europe declined by 39.1%, the new EU Member States by 67.9%.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

The segment of buses and coaches fared the best in September with an overall 12.1% decline of the European market, composed of a respective 8.8% and 40.4% decrease in Western Europe and the new EU Member States. Looking at the major markets, France (+6.9%) and Spain (+1.5%) posted growth while Germany (-6.9%), the UK (-22.5%) and Italy (-41.3%) saw their market contract. Over three quarters, France was the only major market to expand (+8.8%). Germany (-7.7%), the UK (-14.1%), Spain (-19.6%) and Italy (-27.2%) were down. The 9.5% downturn in Western Europe and the 58.0% drop in the new EU Member States resulted in an overall 16.5% decline in Europe*.

* EU27+EFTA, data for Cyprus and Malta are unavailable

 

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