The EU economy goes from grim to grimmer with each passing month of official austerity policies.
Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU during February was down for the fourteenth consecutive month. The decline hurt all segments. In the major markets France was of -12.3%, Germany -14.4%, Spain -19.5% and Italy -31.3%. Only the UK because of strong van sales posted growth at +4.2%. In total, 109,331 new vehicles were sold during the month, according to ACEA, the aut trade group.
In the first two months of 2013, the UK market expanded by 4.9%, while the French (-11.1%), German (-15.0%), Spanish (-17.6%) and Italian (-27.3%) contracted drastically, leading to an overall 11.9% decline at 235,459 new registrations.
In February, new van registrations decreased by 13.3% at 89,964 units. France (-12%), Germany (-16.4%), Spain (-18.3%) and Italy (-31.9%) posted negative results, while demand was sustained in the UK (+11.8%). From January to February, 193,085 new vans were registered in the EU, or 11.4% fewer than in the same period last year. The decline ranged from -10.7% in France to -15.1% in Germany, -18.3% in Spain and -28.7% in Italy. The UK recorded 11.9% more vans than in the first two months of 2012.
The heavy truck segment contracted by 12.4% in February, with 13,320 new vehicles. All markets shrunk. Germany saw demand fall by -8.9% and the UK by -11%. The drop was sharper in France (-18.4%), Italy (-23.8%) and Spain (-25.3%). Two months into the year, major markets performed similarly with negative results ranging from -16% in Germany to -16.2% in Italy, -16.8% in France and -17.5% in both Spain and the UK. Overall, the region registered 28,851 new heavy trucks, or 15.7% fewer than in the same period a year earlier.
In February, the EU recorded 17,620 new trucks over 3.5 tons, or 13.3% less than in February 2012. The number of new registrations was down 9.8% in Germany, 15.6% in the UK, 17.7% in France, 26.1% in Italy and 27% in Spain. From January to February, Germany (-15.%) remained the largest market with 10,435 new trucks, followed by France (6,738 units; -16.3%), the UK (4,754 units; -18.9%), Italy (2,136 units; -19.9%) and Spain (1,811 units; -17.7%). In total, 37,950 new trucks were registered, which represented a 15.4% decrease compared to the first two months of last year.
February results for buses and coaches over 3.5 tons showed an 11.2% decline of new registrations compared to February 2012. The German market was stable, while the France grew by 31.4%. Italy (-24.2%), the UK (-24.6%) and Spain (-25.8%) faced a double-digit downturn. In the first two months of 2013, results were diverse, leading to a slight overall increase in the region (+0.5%) with 4,424 new vehicles. The UK recorded the biggest decline among the major markets (-13.5%), although remaining the largest one. Germany (-9.8%) and Italy (-3.3%) also saw their demand shrink, while Spain (+14.0%) and France (+15.1%) posted growth.
