In December lest year, new commercial vehicle registrations in the European Union continued the downward trend which prevailed throughout 2012, amounting to 125,825 units. Demand reached its lowest level since October 2009, with a year-on-year decrease of 24.3 percent, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). A downturn prevailed in new commercial vehicle registrations across the EU's major markets, with decreases of 15.5 percent in the UK, 20.3 percent in Italy, 21.3 percent in France, 24.7 percent in Germany and 34.2 percent in Spain, all year on year.
In the whole of 2012, a total of 1,588,593 new commercial vehicles were registered in the EU-27, or down 13.3 percent year on year. Looking at new registrations in the major markets in the EU-27 region last year, France remained the largest market, despite a 10.6 percent year-on-year contraction, followed by the UK (-7.9 percent) and Germany (-6 percent). Italy (-32 percent) and Spain (-26.3 percent) recorded more severe year-on-year drops.
In 2012, new heavy commercial vehicle registrations in the EU declined by 9.4 percent to 214,086 units, compared to 2011. In the period in question, the EU registered a 9.1 percent year-on-year drop in registrations of new trucks to 285,809. In the meantime, new bus and coach registrations rose by 1.4 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, amounting to 32,081 vehicles, mainly driven by the UK which was the largest market and which expanded by 31.9 percent year on year.