In December 2019, commercial vehicle registrations increased by 5.7% across the European Union, ending three months of decline, according to the latest figures by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Total new commercial vehicles
In December 2019, commercial vehicle (CV) registrations increased by 5.7% across the European Union, ending three months of decline. Demand was largely driven by the van segment, which accounted for over 86% of all CV registrations last month. Looking at the biggest markets, results were mixed. Both France (+7.4%) and the United Kingdom (+7.1%) posted growth in December, but registrations fell in Spain (-8.3%), Italy (-4.0%) and Germany (-1.7%).
Overall in 2019, EU demand for new commercial vehicles expanded by +2.5%, marking the seventh consecutive year of growth. Each of the major markets ended the year on a positive note: Germany (+6.1%), France (+4.3%), the United Kingdom (+3.0%), Italy (+1.9%) and Spain (+0.3%).
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t
In December, registrations of light commercial vehicles went up 8.2%, reversing the downward trend of the preceding months. Three of the five key EU markets posted growth last month: France (+8.7%), the UK (+7.8%) and Germany (+1.6%). By contrast, demand contracted in Spain (-8.2%) and Italy (-3.1%). The exceptional performance of the Swedish van market (+180.3%) can be explained by an increase in the annual road tax announced for 2020.
Last year, new van registrations totalled 2.1 million units across the EU, a 2.8% increase compared to 2018. The introduction of WLTP for vans in September pulled forward registrations during the summer months, which subsequently slowed down from September to November. However, that effect eased in December, with demand for vans going up again. The five big markets all posted gains last year, with Germany (+6.9%) and France (+4.5%) making a particularly important contribution.
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