Demand for new commercial vehicles increased across the EU for the sixth consecutive month, according to latest figures from ACEA (the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association).
Total commercial vehicle registrations grew by 13.7%, totalling 125,241 units, with growth seen in all segments, led by Spain, which recorded the highest upturn, at 49.2%.
Germany recorded overall growth of 19.6%, the UK 16.3%, and Italy 13.3%, while demand in France rose just 2.9%.
In the first two months of 2014, the EU market has expanded by 8.7%, totalling 257,509 commercial vehicles registered.
The EU has been bucking the trend seen in the UK – where HGV sales have fallen back following the change in January to more expensive Euro 6 engined vehicles – with HGVs over 16 tonnes seeing greatest growth, at 19.7%, while trucks over 3.5 tonnes (excluding buses and coaches) saw registrations rise by 17.1%.
New LCVs up to 3.5 tonnes saw registrations grow in February by 13.2%, and buses and coaches of more than 3.5 tonnes saw demand rise by 8.5%.
As for the detail around HGV sales, February's results – which indicate 15,889 total registrations – show Germany leading the growth, at 44.7%, Spain second, at 31.2%, France third at 18.9% and Italy fourth at 8.7%. Demand for heavy trucks declined in the UK by 40.4%.
