Frankfurt. The commercial vehicle market in Germany developed better than expected in 2017. With an estimated 369,000 units and an increase of 3.3 percent, the record level of 2016 was exceeded.<\/p>\n
VDIK President Reinhard Zirpel: “The new registrations of the international manufacturers grew at about the same level as the overall market, with their market share remaining stable at around 27 percent. In 2017, around 98,500 new commercial vehicles from our member companies were put on the road in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growth driver light commercial vehicles<\/strong><\/p>\n Light commercial vehicles rose by 4.6 percent, while medium commercial vehicles decreased by 3 percent. Heavy commercial vehicles including buses conclude slightly above the previous year’s volume.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Diesel engines continue to dominate in commercial vehicles<\/strong><\/p>\n The considerable increase in gasoline and alternative drive technologies barely changes the current dominance of diesel engines in commercial vehicles. The industry is steadily expanding the range of commercial vehicles with electric drive. More gas-powered commercial vehicles will be available in the coming year. Heavy commercial vehicles can already be ordered with alternative drive technologies, including CNG- or LNG-powered trucks, hybrid trucks and buses, and electric buses.<\/p>\n Stable commercial vehicle market in 2018 with a high level of new registrations<\/strong><\/p>\n VDIK President Reinhard Zirpel: “In the commercial vehicle market, we continue to see a stable demand for 2018. Even though strong fluctuations in the number of registrations of heavy commercial vehicles were observed in the past, the VDIK expects that the current, high level of new registrations will be maintained in the medium and long term due to the large and further increasing transport volumes.”<\/p>\n