October Truck Sales Drop 3% in Europe

Registrations of new commercial vehicles and buses declined 3% to 191,200 units last month, industry trade group ACEA reports. The shrinkage ended 21 months of continuing growth.

Truck sales through the first 10 months of 2016 totaled 1.97 million units compared with 1.77 million in the same period last year. All five of Europe’s largest markets are at least 8% ahead of last year’s volume to date.

But year-on-year sales in October shrank in France (-6% to 37,800 units), the U.K. (-6% to 32,100), Germany (-15% to 28,000), and Spain (-6% to 17,000). Registrations jumped 48% to 20,900 units in Italy last month.

Demand for light-duty commercial vehicles fell 1% to 155,400 units in October, according to ACEA. Sales of heavy-duty trucks fell 8% to 26,900 units.