Euro truck sales plunge in 2020

Weak December sales of new commercial vehicles in Europe closed out a dismal year in which the COVID-19 pandemic brought chaos and uncertainty to the European truck industry.

The European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA) reports that 170,122 new trucks and vans registered in Europe Union markets in December.

That equates to a contraction of 4.2 per cent over the same month of the previous year, but it's still far better than the overall figure for the full year.

A total of around 1.7 million new commercial vehicles were registered across the European Union over 2020, and while that number may tower over a relatively small market like ours (where 34,476 new commercial vehicles were registered for the year), it still represents a large fall of 18.9% over the 2019 tally.

Of the four major markets Spain was the hardest hit (-26.1%), followed by France (-16.9%), Italy (-15.1%) and Germany (-14.8%).

The UK, which now falls outside of the European Union, experienced a drop of 22.0%. All EU markets experienced double-digit declines in 2020, with the exception of Denmark (-9.2%).

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The figures aren't perhaps that surprising given the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen lockdowns of varying degrees in place across much of Europe at various times throughout the year.

The virus has wrought major upheaval upon supply chains across the world, as hospitalization and unemployment rates spike and consumer confidence withers.

The rollout of vaccines may provide some light at the end of the tunnel, but for the many countries yet to arrest their infection rates, significant challenges remain in the months ahead.

While the overall figures for December and the full year were down, there were rays of hope in some segments. New registrations of heavy-duty vehicles (GVM over 16t) were up 11.8% in December, although the year-end tally was down by 27.3% to 198,352 units, with three of the four major markets experiencing drops of over 20%.

Demand for light commercial vehicles (GVM up to 3.5t) was down 6.0% for December and down 17.6% for the year (1.4 million units), while registrations of new medium-to-heavy-duty vehicles (GVM over 3.5t) was up 7.1% for December but down 25.7% for the year (247,499 units).

Registrations of new medium and heavy buses and coaches (GVM over 3.5t) were up 13.4% in December but down 20.3% for the year (29,147 units).

While positive growth was experienced in both September and November across EU markets, it wasn't enough to offset the major falls incurred by the lengthy and strict lockdowns enforced in many European nations in the first half of the year.

Several European nations re-entered lockdown towards the close of 2020, and with a new and highly transmissible strain of the virus now emanating from the UK, the race for widespread inoculation is on, as industries around the globe hope for the promise of greater economic stability ahead.