Truck Sales in Europe Fall 7%

Europe's demand for commercial trucks and buses, which rose 4% in April, dropped to 141,700 units in May from 153,100 units a year earlier, according to industry trade group ACEA.

Volume declined each of the region's four largest markets in May. Deliveries slid 11% to 32,000 units in France, 4% to 24,500 units in the U.K., 10% to 24,100 vehicles in Germany and 16% to 10,000 units in Italy.

Sales of light-duty commercial vehicles shrank about 7% to 9,100 units across Europe. Demand for heavy trucks dropped to 18,000 units from 19,300 units in May 2012. Bus sales across the region slumped 10% to 2,600 units.

Registrations through the first five months of 2013 were 712,000 units compared with 768,000 in the same period last year, according to ACEA. Sales within the European union slid 8% to 681,300 units in January-May.