EU CV registrations decline ‘less pronounced’ in May – ACEA

The ACEA has revealed EU commercial vehicle registrations decreased 44.4 per cent in May, a less pronounced decline than April as pandemic countermeasures were relaxed. Demand fell across all commercial vehicle segments. The four largest markets of the EU, Spain (-59.0 per cent) and Germany (-47.9) saw the biggest losses in May, followed by Italy (-36.5) and France (-35.0). The UK, as per Brexit, is no longer included in ACEA’s figures, current or historical.

Five months into the year, demand for new commercial vehicles in the European Union shrank 36.7 per cent, owing to three months of steep declines. Each of the 27 EU markets posted double-digit percentage drops so far this year, with Lithuania (-55.7 per cent) and Spain (-49.3 per cent) showing the highest.

LCVs up to 3.5t

Last month, demand for vans fell by 41.3 per cent to 92,604 units. Compared to the month before, when sharp drops of more than 80 per cent were posted, Spain (-58.7 per cent), Italy (-35.3 per cent) and France (-32.9 per cent) saw a slight recovery of the market. Germany, on the other hand, recorded a higher percentage decline (-45.5 per cent) than in April.

From January to May, the EU market for new light commercial vehicles contracted by 36.4 per cent. Among the four major markets, Spain suffered the biggest drop in demand (-51.2 per cent), followed by Italy (-42.4 per cent), France (-40.3 per cent) and Germany (-26.6 per cent).

HCVs of 16t and over

During the fifth month of 2020, new heavy truck registrations fell by 59.7 per cent to 11,783 units. Demand in Central Europe was severely hit (-74.5 per cent), with Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Hungary seeing percentage losses of more than 80 per cent. The four major Western European markets also posted negative results, especially Spain (-62.1 per cent) and Germany (-58.0 per cent). By contrast, Cyprus and Greece were the only EU member states to post growth last month.

So far in 2020, 76,232 heavy trucks were registered across the European Union, down 41.1 per cent compared to the same period one year before. Demand contracted by 41.9 per cent in France, followed by Germany (-36.8 per cent), Spain (-32.1 per cent) and Italy (-29.0 per cent).

Medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5t

In May 2020, EU demand for trucks decreased by 56.9 per cent, marking the 11th consecutive month of decline. Germany remained the leading market for medium and heavy commercial vehicles with 4,535 units registered, though that was only half the number of trucks sold a year before (-54.6 per cent). Spain (-58.9 per cent), France (-47.0 per cent) and Italy (-41.3 per cent) reported similar drops in demand.

Five months into 2020, the European Union counted 95,174 new trucks registered in total, or 38.6 per cent less than during the same period last year. France (-41.0 per cent) saw the biggest percentage drop, followed by Germany (-33.4 per cent), Spain (-30.9 per cent) and Italy (-29.4 per cent).

Medium and heavy buses and coaches over 3.5t

Last month, bus and coach registrations fell (-56.5 per cent) across the EU, counting 1,583 units (compared to 3,636 in May 2019). Only four of the 27 EU markets posted positive results in May 2020: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden. The other 23 markets, including the four major ones, recorded double-digit declines last month.

From January to May, demand for buses and coaches in the European Union contracted by 33.2 per cent, with 10,125 new vehicles registered across the region in total. Registrations fell more than half in Spain (-54.3 per cent), while France (-21.5 per cent), Germany (-17.0 per cent) and Italy (-13.6 per cent) noted more modest decreases.