European commercial vehicle registrations up 1% in 2013

In December last year, new commercial vehicle registrations grew by 34.7 percent year on year in the European Union, totaling 169,744 units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). The month counted on average the same number of working days across the region compared to the same month of the previous year. Looking at the major markets, France (+16.6 percent), Italy (+16.8 percent), Germany (+27 percent), Spain (+52.9 percent) and the UK (+66 percent) all posted double-digit increases.
 
In 2013, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU was up one percent year on year, with 1,711,843 new registrations. Despite the increase, this was the third lowest level since the start of the series in 1997 in absolute figures. Spain (+9.7 percent) and the UK (+14.5 percent) recorded more vehicle registrations than in 2012, while Germany (-2 percent), France (-3.7 percent) and Italy (-11.7 percent) saw their markets decline.