According to data from ACEA, 221,866 new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) were registered in western Europe in March 2006, representing growth of 9.4% compared to March 2005.
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This was influenced by the number of extra working days (between +1 and +3) in all countries, but also confirms the good start of the year for the sector, according to the trade association
All markets posted positive results for the month with the sole exception of Luxembourg (-0.3%).
Best performers were Denmark (+34.7%) and Sweden (+32%), while Spain (+17.7%) experienced the highest growth among the five major markets.
Cumulative figures for the first quarter of 2006 saw growth of 7.1% for western Europe as a whole. The highest growth was reported in Sweden (+24.5%) and Denmark (+23.9%). Germany (+18.3%) saw the highest growth among the top five markets.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) over 16t (excluding buses & coaches)
New heavy truck registrations in western Europe reached 25,707 units in March 2006, a rise of 14% compared to March 2005. The result was driven by strong increases in Germany (+31.9%) and Italy (+30.2%), with Luxembourg (+44.4%) and Denmark (+36%) delivering the strongest growth. Only France (-1.4%), Greece (-4.1%) and Belgium (-27.9%) posted negative results.
Cumulative figures for the first quarter of 2006 showed a 0.7% drop in sales, with mixed results across the region. Eight countries reported growth (from +2.9% in Italy to +33.3% in Luxembourg) and seven reported a loss (from –0.3% in Finland to –32.3% in Belgium).
New commercial Vehicles between 3.5 and 16t (excluding buses & coaches)
Reflecting the good performance in the heavy truck sector, the market for new commercial vehicles between 3.5 and 16t also showed an increase in March. In total, 36,509 vehicles were registered, a growth of 14.3% compared to March 2005.
Eight countries posted increases above 20% (Ireland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Germany), while demand fell in only three countries (-18.1% in Belgium).
Cumulative figures for the first quarter 2006 showed a marginal increase of +1.4%, with the highest growth in Sweden (+22.7%).
New buses & coaches
Registration of new medium and heavy buses and coaches in Western Europe reached 3,239 units in March 2006, an increase of 18%. Austria was by far the best performer (+142.3%) ahead of three big markets: Italy (+41.3%), Germany (+38.6%) and the United Kingdom (+37.9%). Luxembourg (-44.4%), Belgium (-28.4%) and Denmark (-25%) reported the heaviest declines.
In the first three months demand across Europe fell 3%.
