New registrations in western Europe of medium and heavy commercial vehicles that weigh more than 3.5 tonnes rose 6.4% in 2005 to 360,699 units, the best performance since 2000, official data reportedly showed on Thursday.
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According to Reuters, registrations in December alone swelled 29% to 31,542, as double-digit gains in France, Spain and Germany more than outweighed declines in Britain and Italy.
Registrations of heavy trucks of more than 16 tonnes jumped 46.9% in December to 22,890 units in the 15 older European Union members plus Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, the ACEA motor vehicles manufacturers association told the news agency.
The December surge helped new registrations of heavy trucks in western Europe rise 8.6% in 2005 to 253,932 vehicles, the report noted, adding that the heavy truck boom has helped fuel profits at commercial vehicle manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler, Volvo, Scania and MAN.
Registrations of light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes rose 3.5% in 2005 to just under 2 million, while registrations of medium and heavy buses and coaches gained 1.7% to 31,819, Reuters added.
