Commercial vehicle registrations in the European Union fell 2.5% in March 2018, despite a strong first quarter in 2018, with demand falling in almost all commercial vehicle segments in the EU, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said.
Commercial vehicle registrations fell to 260,810 units in the EU in March, other than in France where the market grew by 7.7%, according to a release from ACEA. Meanwhile, Germany posted the largest overall drop, falling 7.6%, followed by the U.K. (-5.9%), Italy (-3.5%), and Spain (-1.9%). Meanwhile, overall demand in the first quarter of the year grew by 2.6%, and registrations totaled 622,439 during this period. The countries with the strongest growth in the first quarter were Spain (9.2%), France (6.2%), Italy (4.8%), and Germany (0.4%). However, the U.K. saw a 4.6% decline in the first quarter.
Comparing March 2018 to last year, demand for vehicle registration for vans in the EU decreased 2.2%, and fell in Germany (-6.7%), the U.K. (-5.6%), Italy –(4.7%), and Spain (-2.1%). Meanwhile, light commercial vehicle registrations grew only in France by 8.2%. However, despite this overall decline, the entire segment grew 2.8% in the first quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, registrations for new heavy commercial vehicles (over 17 tons) on the month fell 2.7% compared to the previous March, according to the ACEA., and new medium and heavy commercial vehicles (over 3.9 tons) were 3% lower than what was reported last year. Declines in major markets, such as the U.K., Spain, and Germany, contributed to the loss. Meanwhile, commercial registrations for France grew in both segments for March, with a combined percentage of 14.7%
Also, despite the overall decline in registrations for medium and heavy commercial vehicles in March, both segments saw an overall increase for the first three months into the year. New heavy commercial vehicles grew in the EU market by 2.9%, and 2.2% in the medium commercial segment.
Related: EU Commercial Vehicle Registration Up 5% for February
