For
the first time ever, ACEA has released sales figures for Europe for the commercial
vehicle sector. They show that sales in 1999 were some 9.0% ahead of 1998 at
2,206,341 from 2,024,480. Within that figure, sales of light trucks (to 3.5t
GVW) were 8.6% up at 1,812,879 from 1,669,103, whilst the more important Medium/Heavy
Truck sector saw sales rise by 10.7% to 393,462 from 355,377.

Table1: Sales of light trucks
(up to 3.5 tonnes GVW) by country 1998 and 1999.

Country	Year 1999	% Change How well do you really know your competitors? Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge. View profiles in store Company Profile – free sample Thank you! Your download email will arrive shortly Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form By GlobalData Submit UK USA Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte d"Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates US Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam British Virgin Islands US Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Kosovo Industry * Academia & Education Aerospace, Defense & Security Agriculture Asset Management Automotive Banking & Payments Chemicals Construction Consumer Foodservice Government, trade bodies and NGOs Health & Fitness Hospitals & Healthcare HR, Staffing & Recruitment Insurance Investment Banking Legal Services Management Consulting Marketing & Advertising Media & Publishing Medical Devices Mining Oil & Gas Packaging Pharmaceuticals Power & Utilities Private Equity Real Estate Retail Sport Technology Telecom Transportation & Logistics Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Venture Capital Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Just Auto. Submit and download Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address. See Also: Toyota US plant starts on new transaxle Honda to close two plants in China	Year 1998	% Share	% Change	Volume Change
France	374692	20.7	346310	20.7	8.2	28382
Spain	309016	17	254093	15.2	21.6	54923
United Kingdom	235403	13	240875	14.4	-2.3	-5472
Germany	205423	11.3	191299	11.5	7.4	14124
Italy	196299	10.8	180055	10.8	9	16244
Portugal	126841	7	119762	7.2	5.9	7079
Netherlands	98669	5.4	96046	5.8	2.7	2623
Belgium	57536	3.2	49758	3	15.6	7778
Eire	33539	1.9	27048	1.6	24	6491
Denmark	32585	1.8	29055	1.7	12.1	3530
Sweden	27881	1.5	25950	1.6	7.4	1931
Norway	26724	1.5	28798	1.7	-7.2	-2074
Austria	24860	1.4	24817	1.5	0.2	43
Switzerland	21621	1.2	19705	1.2	9.7	1916
Greece	21267	1.2	16437	1	29.4	4830
Finland	16006	0.9	15406	0.9	3.9	600
Luxembourg	3107	0.2	2573	0.2	20.8	534
Totals	1,812,879	100	1,669,103	100	168.4	143482

France
is by far the most important market in Europe for light trucks and played a
reasonable part in the overall result. Sales in France were only just short
of the average market growth rate of 8.6%, finishing at 374,692 from 346,310,
a rise of 8.2%. The French light truck market has been rising, more or less
steadily, since the end of 1992 and now stands a chance of setting a new all-time
record if the sales momentum can be maintained throughout 2000, which we believe
will happen. Spain showed very strong growth in 1999, light truck sales jumping
by 21.6% to 309,016 from 254,093 whilst the UK in third place saw sales drop
by 2.3% to 235,403 from 240,875. Part of the UK decline was due to the run out
of the Ford Transit, which is the symbol of the white van in Britain.

Table2:
Sales of medium and heavy trucks (over 3.5 tonnes GVW) by country 1998 and 1999.

The
Medium/Heavy Truck sector sees Germany with twice the market of the likes of
France and the UK. Germany often reflects the health of the European truck market
and it had been feared by many that 1999 would be a year of contraction in Germany.
But this proved not to be the case and the market showed quite a lot of life
from time to time throughout 1999, finishing the year 12.0% ahead at 118,257
from 105,548. From the figures issued by ACEA, which by and large reflect what
we would have expected in terms of growth on a country by country basis, it
would appear that the figures in the table also include buses as well as medium
and heavy trucks. Markets that saw sales fall in 1999 included the UK, Norway,
the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. Switzerland probably also dropped in terms
of trucks alone. The overall expectation for 2000 would be for a softening in
demand and a slight overall decline, although some interesting new trucks have
recently arrived on the scene and could help stimulate the sector for a short
while longer.

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