VAN sales across Europe have started the year on a high, with figures for the month of January showing a 4% rise on the same month last year. Figures produced by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) show that two out of the five main countries reported ‘substantial’ increases in new registrations during January.

Sales in Germany were up by 25.4% and in France by 11.6%. However, they fell in Spain (-1.3%), Italy (-2.2%) and the UK (-2.4%). ACEA found that within the EU15 countries growth was strong in Sweden (+23.8%) and Ireland (+19.5%). The Netherlands (-19.8%), Portugal (-9%) and Luxembourg (-3.9%) all recorded losses.

Country		January 06		January 05		Variance
Austria		2,031		1,973		2.9%
Belgium		6,633		5,903		12.4%
Denmark		4,383		4,037		8.6%
Finland		1,675		1,573		6.5%
France		37,199		33,326		11.6%
Germany		14,955		11,926		25.4%
Greece		2,470		2,183		13.1%
Ireland		8,363		6,996		19.5%
Italy*		15,719		16,068		-2.2%
Luxembourg		270		281		-3.9%
Netherlands		8,593		10,717		-19.8%
Portugal		5,327		5,856		-9.0%
Spain		27,122		27,483		-1.3%
Sweden		2,467		1,992		23.8%
UK		21,441		21,970		-2.4%
European Union		158,648		152,284		4.2%
Iceland		176		127		38.6%
Norway		3,156		2,424		30.2%
Switzerland		1,550		1,789		-13.4%
EFTA		4,882		4,340		12.5%
West European		163,530		156,624		4.4%