In a sign that the industry is starting to grow, February saw increases in truck sales which grew by 2.7%, towed vehicles which increased by 7% and buses which saw an upswing with a strong 32.1% increase. These are the latest figures released by the Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (ANIFA).
Trucks and Towed Vehicles Ahead of 2022 Levels; Buses Behind the Curve
Analysing the figures in more detail, 2,196 trucks were registered in February, against 2,139 units in February 2021. Rigid trucks bested February 2021 with 1,048 units against 969 units, while truck tractor heads saw a moderate drop, from 1,170 in February 2021 to 1,148 for this February. Combining January’s data, the first two months have seen 2022 perform better by 2021, with 4,408 units against 4,377 from January-February 2022, which equates to a 0.7% increase.
The North West saw the healthiest rise over the two month period with 11.6%, followed by the North East with 4%. Both the Central region and Southern Italy and the Islands recorded declines though, at 6.8% and 7.5% respectively.
For towed vehicles, 1,383 units were registered in February, improving on February 2021’s 1,292 units. Furthermore, there were 119 heavy trailers in February 2022 against 105 units from the February before, and 1,264 semi-trailers against 1,187 units in February 2021. Cumulatively this means the first two months have yielded 2,620 towed vehicles, against 2,451 units for the first two months of 2021, making for a 6.9% increase.
Central Italy saw the biggest advance in sales over the two months with a 52.6% increase. The North West followed with 16.8%, with the North East dropping by 5% and Southern Italy and the Islands falling by 7%.
Buses have a strong February, with 292 sales against 221 in February 2021. This makes for a healthy 32.1% increase. Counting January, however, there have been 591 sales for 2022, against 642 for the same two-month period in 2021, making for a 7.9% decrease. The North West saw the biggest growth, with a 173.3% increase over the two-month period, while Southern Italy and the Islands saw a 50.2% reversal of fortunes.
