A month does not a trend make, but maybe the moribund Western European economy is growing.
Sales of new commercial order zolpidem vehicles in the EU took a turn for the better in September as registrations grew by 6.1% to 160,038 units. The month counted on average one more working day across the region, but it was still positive news for the European auto industry, which posted a -4% drop in total for the year as part of a longer-term decline during the whole decade.
During September in the major markets, the French (-1.8%) and Italian (-3.5%) shrank, in comparison with September 2012, while the German market grew by 4.2% and the UK (+12.5%) and Spanish (+25.4%) posted welcome double-digit upturns. Three quarters into the year, demand for new commercial vehicles totaled 1,230,188 new registrations. Spain (+1.8%) and the UK (+7.9%) recorded more vehicles than in the same period last year, while Germany (-6.9%), France (-7.0%) and Italy (-16.2%) saw their markets decline.
In the all-important and highest volume segment of light vans weighing up to 3.5 tons, registrations increased by 5.6% to 130,789 units. Italy (-1.5%) and France (-3.1%) declined compared to the same month last year. Germany (+4.3%), the UK (+10.3%) and Spain (+29.1%) registered more vehicles. From January to September, results were diverse. France (-6.9%) and Germany (-6.4%) performed similarly, while Italy (-16.3%) recorded a sharper downturn. Spain (+4.0%) and the UK (+9.6%) did better during the first nine months of 2012. Overall, the market of new vans shrank by -.4%, totaling 1,004,479 units in the EU.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
