Demand for commercial vehicles in EU increased by 7.9% in the first month of the year

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According to the report published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the EU market for new commercial vehicles recorded a rise in January of this year. The Eastern European markets posted the biggest gains and recorded the best January for LCV registrations in a decade.

Registrations of commercial vehicles in EU increased by 7.9% in the first month of the year with registrations totaling 187,811 units.

 The EU’s five largest markets all posted gains in January, except for the United Kingdom, where registrations fell by 5.8%. Italy (+15.5%) and Spain (+15.2%) recorded the highest growth rates, followed by Germany (+9.2%) and France (+6.2%)” – reads the ACEA report.

New commercial vehicles registrations in EU

Source: ACEA

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) registrations

The report is a breath of fresh air especially for the Western European market, which has been showing a decline in registrations on a year-to-year basis. On the other hand, the Easter European markets are showing a constant improvement with 13,266 vans registered in January 2018 representing a 25% year-on-year increase. Romania is on top of the list with 83.6% more vans registered in January 2018 compared to 2017.

Country January 2018 January 2017 % change 18/17
Romania 1818 990 83.6%
Hungary 1648 1210 36.2%
Latvia 174 134 29.9%
Poland 4958 3858 28.5%
Lithuania 280 233 20.2%

Source: ACEA

New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) registrations

The ACEA report indicates that in January 2018  registrations of new heavy commercial vehicles increased by 8.9% compared to the same month of the previous year – 25,753 units were registered in total. Heavy-truck demand declined in the UK (-14.8%), but sales increased in other markets and especially in Italy and France (up, respectively, 24.9% and 15.3%).

In this segment, the record holders are still among the Eastern European countries. Although the percentage growth per country is impressive the number of actual trucks registered reflects the size of the market and is relatively small.

Country January 2018 January 2017 % change 18/17
Greece 25 15 66.7%
Romania 524 344 52.3%
Luxembourg 114 83 37.3%
Latvia 168 126 33.3%
Portugal 413 315 31.1%

Source: ACEA

New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) registrations

Overall, 30,835 new trucks were registered in January of this year, 8.6% more than in January 2017. The ACEA reports that four out of five biggest EU markets posted growth over the month. As in all segments, the Eastern European countries recorded the biggest increases in registrations with Hungary on top of the list.

Country January 2018 January 2017 % change 18/17
Hungary 494 287 72.1%
Romania 557 359 55.2%
Latvia 174 130 33.8%
Portugal 496 372 33.3%
Greece 51 40 27.5%

Source: ACEA

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