Brussels, 23 May 2019 – In April 2019, the EU market for commercial vehicles expanded for the fourth month in a row, boosted by gains in both the van and truck segments. 215,497 units were registered across the region, up 7.8% compared to one year ago.
Total new commercial vehicles
In April 2019, the EU market for commercial vehicles expanded for the fourth month in a row, boosted by gains in both the van and truck segments. 215,497 units were registered across the region, up 7.8% compared to one year ago. The EU’s five largest markets all saw strong gains, with France (+12.7%), Italy (+11.6%) and Germany (+10.1%) posting double-digit growth.
From January to April 2019, commercial vehicle registrations grew by 5.8%, counting 871,100 new vehicles in the European Union. Germany drove the growth with a 12.1% increase, followed by the United Kingdom (+8.3%), France (+6.5%), Spain (+3.8%) and Italy (+3.4%).
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t
In April 2019, the van segment – making up nearly 82% of EU commercial vehicle demand – posted the strongest gains (+8.4%). Each of the five major markets recorded solid growth last month, with Italy (+15.6%), Germany (+13.2%) and France (+12.4%) showing the highest increases, followed by Spain (+7.8%) and the UK (+4.7%).
Four months into the year, registrations of new light commercial vehicles grew by 5.9% to reach 721,303 vans. Demand was sustained by the major EU markets, and Germany (+12.4%) in particular, but the Central European markets (+10.9%) also made a significant contribution.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16t and over
During the fourth month of the year, demand for new heavy trucks saw a robust increase (+5.6%) compared to April 2018. Growth was driven by strong gains in France (+18.4%) and the United Kingdom (+14.3%), although demand declined in Spain (‐15.9%) and Italy (‐12.2%).
From January to April 2019, 111,230 heavy trucks were registered in the European Union, or 4.9% more than during the same period in 2018. The UK (+18.1%) and Germany (+12.2%) led the growth, both posting double-digit increases, while the Italian (‐11.4%) and Spanish markets (-5.6%) showed a drop in heavy-truck registrations.
New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5t
April 2019 results show that demand for new trucks went up by 5.8% last month. The performance of the five major EU markets differed greatly, with France (+17.7%), the UK (+10.3%) and Germany (+4.7%) posting solid growth, but new-truck registrations showing a significant drop in Spain (-15.0%) and Italy (-7.4%).
So far in 2019, the EU truck market expanded by 6.1% to reach 136,575 units in total. The United Kingdom (+15.7%) and Germany (+13.0%) saw the highest uplifts. By contrast, new truck registrations decreased in Spain and Italy (down 5.7% and 10.4% respectively) four months into the year.
New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5t
In April 2019, bus and coach registrations in the EU continued the decline recorded in March, falling by 4.4%. With the exception of Spain (+23.6%), all major markets posted declines. Last month saw double-digit drops in the UK (-28.4%), Germany (-24.1%) and France (-16.7%).
Four months into the year, demand for new buses and coaches showed a slight decrease (-0.9%). The Central European markets (+23.0%) provided solid support to the bus segment, given that three of the five largest EU markets posted negative results so far this year.