In December 2012, new commercial vehicle registrations continued the downward trend which prevailed throughout 2012, amounting to 125,825 units, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Demand reached its lowest level since October 2009, at -23.4 percent, with downturns in major markets ranging from -15.5 percent in the UK to -20.3 percent in Italy, -21.3 percent in France, -24.7 percent in Germany and -34.2 percent in Spain.

From January to December 2012, a total of 1,695,173 new commercial vehicles were registered in the EU (except Malta), or 12.4 percent less than in 2011. The UK (-5.7 percent) and Germany (-7.0 percent) performed somewhat similarly, while the French market shrank by 10.3 percent. The Spanish (-25.9 percent) and Italian (-31.7 percent) markets faced a more severe downturn, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association data.