EU: Commercial vehicle market grows 5.8% in H1

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EU market for commercial vehicles saw 5.8% growth year-on-year in the first half of 2019, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) reported on Wednesday.

The number of new commercial vehicle registrations counted to 1.36 million during the January-June period, ACEA data showed.

Germany topped the list with a 13.9% increase. It was followed by the U.K. (10.2%), France (6.9%), Italy (4.8%) and Spain (2.6%) in demand for commercial vehicles.

Demand for vans -- light commercial vehicles -- increased 3.8% to exceed 1.1 million new registrations in the bloc during the six-month period.

On the heavy commercial vehicles side, the EU demand increased by 15.6% to 185,511 new trucks in the same period.

More than 228,000 new medium/heavy commercial vehicles were also registered in the EU, marking 16.5% annual increase in the first half of the year.

“Over the first half of 2019, demand for new buses and coaches saw a considerable improvement as 9.2%,” the ACEA said.

Last year in the same period, the number of new commercial vehicle registrations totaled 1.28 million in the 28-member bloc.