After improving figures in September and November, the commercial vehicle market fell in December by 4.2%, based on the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, with a total 2020 fall of 18.2% compared to 2019, reports Gummibereifung.
A Mixed Year for the Automobile Industry
December proved a particularly varied month for the industry, with an increase in registrations in Germany (4.7%) and Spain (2.3%), while France and Italy had a drop with 2.1% and 9.4% respectively. Within the whole year, however, all EU markets with the exception of Denmark were equally affected, suffering double-digit drops. Germany at 14.8% was somewhat lower than the EU average.
Segment-specific differences
In 2020, around 1.7 million commercial vehicles were registered, with 85% being within the van segment. This marked an EU-wide decrease from the previous year of 17.6%. The effect was noticeable with Germany seeing a 12.2% decline, although, in December, there was a healthy 2.5% rise in registrations.
Within the heavy truck segment (16 tonnes and over) the year ended negatively as well with a 27.3% drop in registrations across Europe. Germany survived a 26% drop, although the market improved during the last two months of 2020. Likewise, the medium-weight truck segment (over 3.5 tonnes) dropped substantially with a 24% drop in Germany and a higher 25.7% fall across Europe. Ending the year on a positive note for Germany, the bus and coach sector saw a minor increase of 0.4% for the year, while Europe suffered a hefty 20.3% loss.
