Brussels, 26 September 2018 – New commercial vehicle registrations increased both in July and August 2018 (+2.3% and +7.3% respectively), marking the fifth consecutive month of growth.
Total new commercial vehicles
New commercial vehicle registrations increased both in July and August 2018 (+2.3% and +7.3% respectively), marking the fifth consecutive month of growth. All segments performed well during the summer months. The major EU markets saw strong demand in August: Spain (+18.0%), France (+13.3%) and Germany (+11.7%) posted double-digit increases, although the United Kingdom (+2.4%) and Italy (+1.7%) showed more modest growth.
During the first eight months of 2018, the EU market expanded by 4.8% to reach 1.6 million new commercial vehicles. Spain saw the strongest growth over this period (+10.8%), followed by France (+6.0%), Germany (+4.4%) and Italy (+1.6%). By contrast, the UK market for commercial vehicles contracted by 3.0% so far this year.
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t
In August 2018, demand for light commercial vehicles grew by 7.5%, mainly driven by the excellent performance of the new EU member states (+14.5%). Among the five major markets, Spain (+20.2%), France (+12.7%), Germany (+12.7%) and the UK (+5.0%) did very well, but demand declined in Italy(-3.0%). In total, 132,905 new vans were registered across the EU in August.
From January to August 2018, EU demand for vans increased by 4.8% compared to one year ago, with a total of 1,352,326 units registered so far. Results were diverse among the major EU markets, with the United Kingdom (-2.2%) and Italy (-0.4%) posting declines, while Spain (+11.6%), France (+5.7%) and Germany (+5.4%) all recorded growth.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16t and over
August 2018 registrations in the heavy truck segment were significantly higher (+8.6%) than one year ago. France (+15.6%), Spain (+10.7%), Germany (+9.6%) and Italy (+4.7%) contributed positively to the EU’s growth, but registrations fell in the UK (-9.4%).
Eight months into the year, demand for new heavy trucks remained positive across the EU, registrations were up 5.1% compared to 2017. Overall, 205,628 new vehicles were registered so far in 2018. The only major market to post a decline was the United Kingdom (-8.9%), while Italy (+13.3%), France (+10.0%), Spain (+4.2%) and Germany (+2.5%) performed well so far this year.
New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5t
In August 2018, new truck registrations grew for the third consecutive month (+7.6%), counting 25,541 units. Strong growth was observed in almost all major EU markets except for the UK (-7.9%); the French market saw the strongest increase (+16.1%) in August.
Over the first eight months of the year, EU demand for new trucks went up by 4.8% to reach 252,999 registrations across the region. Italy (+11.8%), France (+8.9%), Spain (+5.6%) and Germany (+2.0%) performed well, but new truck registrations fell in the United Kingdom (-6.9%).
New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5t
August 2018 results for the bus and coach segment were similar to last year, following July’s strong recovery in demand (+18.1%). The five key EU markets showed diverging trends: France (+19.3%), Germany (+23.6%) and especially Italy (+160.1%) posted excellent results, while the Spanish(-54.9%) and UK (-18.1%) markets faced substantial declines.
From January to August 2018, EU bus and coach registrations were slightly higher than one year ago (+1.3%), counting 27,527 new vehicles. Demand increased significantly in Italy (+35.2%), but the market contracted in the United Kingdom (-13.0%), Germany (-3.6%) and Spain (-2.8%). The new EU member states made a substantial contribution (+16.1%) to the overall result.