UK the one bright spot in YTD EU truck sales

In September, the EU recorded 18,529 new heavy trucks (over 16 tonnes), or 14.8 per cent less than in September 2011. All significant markets contracted, from -6.7 per cent in the UK to -18.6 per cent in France, -22.9 per cent in Germany, -28.6 per cent in Spain and -33.8 per cent in Italy. Nine months into the year, the decline was 7.7 per cent, with a total of 162,355 new registrations.

The UK was the only major market to expand (+5.9 per cent), while the German (-6.7 per cent), French (-7.2 per cent), Spanish (-21.0 per cent) and Italian (-29.7 per cent) declined.

New commercial vehicle sales over 3.5 tonnes

This segment of trucks recorded the sharpest downturn in September (-15.7 per cent), with 24,217 new registrations in the EU. The UK (-7.3 per cent), France (-19.7 per cent), Germany (-20.4 per cent), Spain (-30.6 per cent) and Italy (-34.1 per cent) all saw their market contract. 

In the first three quarters of the year, demand for new trucks in the EU fell by 7.3 per cent, amounting to 217,104 units. While the UK posted growth (+11.3 per cent), France (-5.8 per cent) and Germany (-7.7 per cent) similarly shrank, and Spain (-22.3 per cent) and Italy (-30.5 per cent) faced more severe contractions.