Aussie truck sales hold steady

Last year saw a total of 30,630 new trucks and light duty vans sold in Australia, the total just 15 units short of the previous year's tally

With 30,630 new trucks and light duty vans sold in Australia in 2014, strong December sales still weren't enough to push the market into overall growth, with the figure falling 15 vehicles shy of the 2013 total to equate with a minimal contraction of 0.05 per cent.

According to T-Mark data released recently by the Truck Industry Council (TIC), December 2014 saw sales grow by 6.2% on the December 2013 figure, with the heavy duty, medium duty and light duty segments posting individual growth of 5.5%, 16.0% and 12.4% respectively for the month. Only the light duty van segment (enclosed vans with GVMs between 3501kg and 8000kg) posted a drop for the month with a contraction of 15.3%, although its total 2014 tally was still 6.2% up on the previous year.

By the end of June 2014 year-to-date truck sales were down by 4.7% over the previous year's corresponding period, but third quarter sales started to peg back the difference and the final quarter for the year saw growth of 6.4% – or an extra 501 vehicles – sold compared to the last quarter of 2013.

OVERALL

The final 2014 tally saw traditional market leader Isuzu dominate the overall figures with 7150 sales for a market share of 23.3%, followed by Hino (4054 sales, 13.2% share), Fuso (3196 sales, 10.4% share), Kenworth (2186 sales, 7.1% share) and Iveco (1466 sales, 4.8% share).

Isuzu was the only company in that top five to grow its sales in 2014, registering impressive growth of 4.9% over its 2013 tally. Sales shrank for the remaining front-runners – Hino's by 2.5%, Fuso's by 2.9%, Kenworth's by 8.6%, and Iveco's by 11.4%.

Volvo Group Australia enjoyed a successful 2014, its brands of Volvo, Mack and UD posting overall sales growth of 0.8%, 10.2% and 17.9% respectively, while fortunes for Daimler Truck & Bus were mixed. While Mercedes-Benz posted growth of 42.9% (the growth largely stemming from sales of its cab/chassis and van Sprinter models), Freightliner's sales dropped by 21.3% and Fuso's (as previously mentioned) by 2.9%. It was a tougher year, however, for Penske Commercial Vehicles, with Western Star, MAN and Dennis Eagle registering overall sales contractions of 30.7%, 29.7% and 39.3% respectively.

HEAVY DUTY

In the heavy duty segment Kenworth remained the clear leader, its 2186 sales giving it a dominant 20.4% slice of the pie. In contrast to the overall figures, while Kenworth's sales slid in 2014 the remaining top-five heavy duty contenders grew their sales. Volvo slotted into second place with 1449 sales and a 13.5% share (sales growth of 1.1%), while Isuzu claimed third with 1116 sales and a 10.4% share (sales growth of 22.5%), Mack was fourth with 981 sales and a 9.2% share (sales growth of 10.2%), and Scania was fifth was 779 sales and a share of 7.3% (sales growth of 19.5%).

In total 10,700 new heavy duty trucks were sold in 2014, the figure down 3.8% on the 2013 total.

MEDIUM DUTY

Isuzu dominated the medium duty segment with 2755 sales and a market share of 41.7%, the figure also equating with growth of 3.7% over its 2013 tally. Next came Hino with 1829 sales and a 27.7% share (a sales contraction of 7.2%), followed by Fuso with 1067 sales and a 16.2% share (sales growth of 2.8%), UD with 571 sales and an 8.7% share (sales growth of 10.0%), and Mercedes-Benz with 139 sales and a share of 2.1% (a drop in sales of 6.1%).

Last year saw 6599 new medium duty trucks sold in this country, the tally representing a drop of 1.0% on the previous year's figure.

LIGHT DUTY

Japan continues its stranglehold on the light duty market, with Isuzu the clear leader in 2014 with 3279 sales and a market share of 37.5%, the figure representing growth of 1.0% on the previous year. Hino slotted into second with 1914 sales and a 21.9% share (and impressive sales growth of 10.5%), followed by Fuso with 1706 sales and a 19.5% share (a sales contraction of 8.4%), Iveco with 656 sales and a 7.5% share (sales holding steady) and Mercedes-Benz with 592 sales and a share of 6.8% (massive sales growth of 130.4%, thanks to surging sales of its Sprinter).

In total 8754 new light duty trucks were sold in Australia last year – that's growth of 2.4% on the 2013 total.

LIGHT DUTY VAN

Mercedes-Benz continues to dominate the light duty van segment, recording 2190 sales and a market share of 47.8%, with sales growth of 13.6% over 2013. Next came Renault, with surging sales of 960 vans (mainly its Master) giving it market share of 21.0% and massive sales growth of 76.5%, followed by Fiat with 531 sales and an 11.6% share (a sales drop of 4.3%), Ford with 512 sales and an 11.2% share (a hefty sales drop of 15.0%) and Volkswagen with 263 sales and a 5.7% share (a massive drop of 46.3%).

Some 4577 new light duty vans were sold in Australia in 2014, the figure up 6.2% on the previous year's tally.

TIC Chief Executive Officer, Tony McMullan, said the year-end results held few surprises.

“In all the 2014 finish is about what we expected," he said.

"Consumer confidence has been low all year while business performance and investment has been patchy at best and with coal and iron ore prices approaching a five-year low, the mining sector is particularly slow."

Mr McMullan said the strong finish for new truck sales in 2014 gave cause for hope.

"If you consider that truck sales were well down on 2013 results for the first two quarters of 2014, the recovery of the market in the third and particularly the fourth quarters was quite heartening. We can only hope that these second half results will carry over into 2015 and we will see growth in new trucks sales."

2014 NEW TRUCK SALES: OVERALL (TOP 10)

RANKING	MANUFACTURER	YTD SALES	SALES VARIANCE (%)	MARKET SHARE (%)
1.	Isuzu	7150	+4.9	23.3
2.	Hino	4054	-2.5	13.2
3.	Fuso	3196	-2.9	10.4
4.	Kenworth	2186	-8.6	7.1
5.	Iveco	1466	-11.4	4.8
6.	Volvo	1454	+0.8	4.7
7.	Mercedes-Benz	1113	+42.9	3.6
8.	Mack	981	+10.2	3.2
9.	Scania	779	+19.5	2.5
10.	UD Trucks	777	+17.9	2.5

2014 NEW TRUCK SALES: HEAVY DUTY (TOP 10)

RANKING	MANUFACTURER	YTD SALES	SALES VARIANCE (%)	MARKET SHARE (%)
1.	Kenworth	2186	-8.6	20.4
2.	Volvo	1449	+1.1	13.5
3.	Isuzu	1116	+22.5	10.4
4.	Mack	981	+10.2	9.2
5.	Scania	779	+19.5	7.3
6.	Iveco	698	-16.9	6.5
7.	Freightliner	692	-21.3	6.5
8.	Western Star	658	-30.7	6.1
9.	Fuso	423	+7.6	4.0
10.	Mercedes-Benz	382	+2.1	3.6

2014 NEW TRUCK SALES: MEDIUM DUTY (TOP 10)

RANKING	MANUFACTURER	YTD SALES	SALES VARIANCE (%)	MARKET SHARE (%)
1.	Isuzu	2755	+3.7	41.7
2.	Hino	1829	-7.2	27.7
3.	Fuso	1067	+2.8	16.2
4.	UD Trucks	571	+10.0	8.7
5.	Mercedes-Benz	139	-6.1	2.1
6.	Iveco	112	-30.0	1.7
7.	MAN	70	-33.3	1.1
8.	DAF	34	-17.1	0.5
9.	International	12	+100.0	0.2
10.	Volvo	5	-50.0	0.1
10.	Dennis Eagle	5	-72.2	0.1

2014 NEW TRUCK SALES: LIGHT DUTY (TOP 9)

RANKING	MANUFACTURER	YTD SALES	SALES VARIANCE (%)	MARKET SHARE (%)
1.	Isuzu	3279	+1.0	37.5
2.	Hino	1914	+10.5	21.9
3.	Fuso	1706	-8.4	19.5
4.	Iveco	656	0.0	7.5
5.	Mercedes-Benz	592	+130.4	6.8
6.	Fiat	401	-16.6	4.6
7.	Renault	126	+563.2	1.4
8.	Volkswagen	57	-51.3	0.7
9.	Ford	23	-87.1	0.3

2014 NEW TRUCK SALES: LIGHT DUTY VAN (TOP 6)

RANKING	MANUFACTURER	YTD SALES	SALES VARIANCE (%)	MARKET SHARE (%)
1.	Mercedes-Benz	2190	+13.6	47.8
2.	Renault	960	+76.5	21.0
3.	Fiat	531	-4.3	11.6
4.	Ford	512	-15.0	11.2
5.	Volkswagen	263	-46.3	5.7
6.	Iveco	121	-37.0	2.6

Aussie truck sales hold steady

Tags