The  European  commercial  vehicle  manufacturers  have called  upon  the  European  Union and Member States to act now to prevent business failures in the industry as the economic recession creates unprecedented problems for CV manufacturers.

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“This  is  not  a normal cycle; we are experiencing the sharpest downturn ever.  Governments  must act to prevent the failing of viable businesses, and  they  must  do  so  in a coordinated way,” said Leif Östling, CEO of  Scania  and  chairman of the ACEA commercial vehicle manufacturers board.


He was speaking today  in  Leipzig  at  the  International  Transport  Forum, a three-day conference gathering transport ministers from the EU. The Forum coincides with the EU Competitiveness Council, today in Brussels, which will assess crisis measures to support Europe’s industrial base.


ACEA says the financial  and  economic  crisis  has  triggered  a  sharp drop in transport  activity and subsequent sharp decline in demand for commercial vehicles. 


It says that the order intake  for heavy trucks stalled at 10,000 in the first quarter  of 2009, compared to 100,000 a year ago. Adapting to the crisis, manufacturers expect commercial vehicle production to at least halve this year,  putting  great  pressure  on  employment  levels  both  at vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers.

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“Progress  towards  sustainable mobility requires a thriving industry. In the current extraordinary economic and financial situation, however, the relative cost of the regulatory burden on our industry increases. This is an  issue  that  must  be  addressed. The legislative framework should be carefully  scrutinised,” said  Östling. 


“Furthermore,  there  are  many infrastructural  and  construction  projects  planned for the future that could be launched right now.”


Referring to the European elections early next month, Östling added: “This  is  an  issue  that  the new European Parliament should embrace as well.”


Governments  must  also  act  to restore the functioning of the financial system,  said Östling. “The lack of credit is a particular problem in our industry.  We  have  many customers that could show a valid business case for investing in new vehicles but are unable to finance these investments due  to  the  overall lack of credit facilities.”


See also: BELGIUM: European CV sales down 42% in April