Registrations of commercial vehicles — including vans, trucks and buses — in the EU rose 9.6% in 2021 to 1.88 million units, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) Jan. 26.
Vans of up to 3.5 mt in weight dominated the sector, accounting for nearly 1.6 million registrations, up 8.5% despite six successive months of falling vehicle registrations to December.
The ACEA said the increase was “largely thanks to the low base recorded during the first half of 2020” with the full year total “far below” the pre-pandemic 2019 level of 2.1 million units.
Three of the four major EU markets saw on-year growth with Italy (15.5%) recording the highest total, followed by France (7.8%) and Germany (0.6%).
December new registrations fell 8.4% year on year to 156,000 units, which ACEA attributed largely to a drop in new van registrations with registrations of heavier trucks and buses rising.
Meanwhile, the UK posted a full-year increase of 19% to 337,495 units, with December registrations up 3.7%.
Commercial and passenger vehicles are a major consumer of metals and petrochemical products.
— Callum Colford
