Spanish Light Commercial and Industrial Vehicle Market Improving on 2020 Levels

In a noticeable drop, with only 10,459 light commercial vehicles registered in October, the number is close to half that of the 16,573 units registered in October 2020. Industrial vehicles fared better with only a 6.5% drop compared to 2020. However, the market is still holding firm for both vehicles type in comparison to 2020 levels, indicating that 2021 will be a stronger, healthier year for the industry.

Monthly Drop Shows Market Still Struggling with External Issues

La Asociación Española de Farbicantes de Automóviles y Camiones, or ANFAC (the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers) has released October results showing the market is still in a decline on a month-by-month basis. Last month we saw a dip of around a third in light commercial vehicle sales. This month, we've seen the market shrink again by a third, when compared to October last year. This goes to show how strong the opening months were for 2021 to be having a stronger year-to-date than last year. Currently, 130,512 units have been registered, against 125,861 the previous year. 

Industrial vehicles are faring better with a smaller drop of only 6.5%. In October last year, 2,573 units were registered, whereas this year, it's the slightly lower figure of 2,406. Going on year-to-date figures, 17,258 units have been registered against 15,300, meaning there's a 12.8% increase.

Buses represented the biggest casualty this month after a solid showing last month. Only 167 buses were registered, which is a noticeable decline from 234 units in October 2020. The year-to-date figures reflect a difficult year for bus registrations, with a drop in sales. Last year, in January-October 1,666 units were registered, against only 1,534 this year. There have been some noticeable trends of bus registrations falling in 2021, particularly in Sweden where the market has halved. 

As the world continues to struggle with semiconductor shortages, we are seeing a minor recovery in the figures but a sustained drop in pre-pandemic levels. It remains to be seen if light commercial vehicles maintain their slight advantage over 2020 sales, although industrial vehicles will more than likely best the previous year's total.