Commercial vehicle registrations: -15.5% eleven months into 2022; -0.6% in November

Total new commercial vehicles

In November 2022, registrations of new commercial vehicles in the EU decreased slightly (-0.6%), marking the seventeenth consecutive month of decline. The truck category recorded a significant improvement last month, but this was not enough to offset the negative results of the van and bus segments. Performances in the region’s four major markets were mixed. Germany saw the strongest gain (+14.0%), followed by Spain, with a modest growth (+0.9%). Italy and France, on the other hand, suffered declines (down 13.7% and 7.0% respectively).

From January to November 2022, new commercial vehicle registrations across the EU were down by 15.5% to nearly 1.5 million vehicles. The four EU key markets all suffered double-digit losses, contributing to the region’s negative performance: Spain (-19.2%), France (-18.1%), Germany (-12.8%) and Italy (-10.7%).

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5t

Last month, the EU market for new light commercial vehicles contracted by 4.5%, counting 111,303 units. Three of the four major markets recorded declines: Italy (-16.7%), France (-8.4%) and Spain (-3.0%). By contrast, Germany posted a strong uplift (+15.1%).

Eleven months into 2022, new van registrations across the EU fell by 19.3% to almost 1.2 million units. With the exception of Cyprus (+0.8%), all the region’s markets performed worse than one year ago, including the four largest ones: Spain (-23.8%), France (-20.0%), Germany (-15.7%) and Italy (-12.3%).

New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) of 16t and over

November registrations of new heavy commercial vehicles expanded by 21.1%, with 24,032 units sold across the European Union. Nearly all EU markets contributed positively to this result. Poland – one of the largest markets for heavy trucks – posted particularly strong growth (+36.3%). Likewise, other major markets in the region recorded solid gains: Spain (+27.0%), Germany (+15.8%), Italy (+10.7%) and France (+6.6%).

From January to November, 235,670 new heavy trucks were registered in the EU, up 7.3% compared to the same period one year ago. The four largest Western European markets all recorded growth: Spain saw the biggest increase (+12.4%), followed by more modest gains in Italy (+3.6%), France (+3.3%) and Germany (+0.8%).

New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5t

In November, EU registrations of medium and heavy trucks posted strong growth (+19.4%). Central European countries provided a strong boost to the region’s result, especially Estonia (+69.8%) and Romania (+66.8%). The situation was also positive in the four major Western European markets, all recording gains: Spain (+24.1%), Germany (+15.6%), Italy (+9.4%) and France (+4.0%).

Eleven months into 2022, new truck registrations increased by 4.2%, totalling 275,482 units sold across the EU. The strong results recorded in recent months helped the cumulative performance to move into positive territory. The four key markets in Western Europe saw mixed performances: Spain and Italy posted growth (+11.4% and +1.5% respectively), while Germany and France faced modest declines (-2.1% and -0.4%).

New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5t

In November 2022, EU registrations of new buses and coaches fell by 11.5%, as all the region’s four major markets suffered losses. Germany faced the steepest drop (-32.8%), followed by Spain (-26.3%), Italy (-13.3%) and France (-4.9%).

So far this year, new bus registrations across the EU retreated by 3.4% to 25,190 units sold. Among the region’s four largest markets, only Spain recorded growth (+21.3%). By contrast, Germany (-24.4%), France (-12.6%) and Italy (-9.0%) all performed markedly worse compared to one year ago.

The truck category recorded a significant improvement last month, but this was not enough to offset the negative results of the van and bus segments.