Aussie truck sales slump in April

The Australian truck market has experienced its third worst April sales figure since 2003

The latest T-Mark data shows sales of new trucks took a significant hit in April, with the 2214 units sold representing a drop of 7.1 per cent over the corresponding April 2013 figure.

The year-to-date figure also paints a less-than-rosy picture, with sales down 4.4 per cent.

Since 2003, only the April sales figures for 2009 and 2011 have been lower.

Sales for the heavy-duty segment dropped by 2.8 per cent in April, with 797 units recorded, but the year-to-date figure is down just 0.6 per cent on the first fourth months of 2013, with a total of 3178 units.

The medium-duty market is continuing to slide, its 430 sales in April representing a drop of 15.7 per cent over the April 2013 figure, while its year-to-date sales have contracted by 13.1 per cent. In the first four months of 2014 a total of 1793 medium-duty trucks have been sold.

There’s no relief in the light-duty market, either. Some 651 light-duty trucks were sold in April – a drop of 9.0 per cent over April 2013 – while the year-to-date sales of 2465 units equates with a drop of 9.8 per cent.

The CEO of the Truck Industry Council, Tony McMullan, said the April figures reflected the cautious mood of the market.

“After a relatively strong March result we were hoping for a strong second quarter, however this now looks unlikely with Q2 off to a poor start,” he said.

“These sales figures would appear to reflect the fact that purchase orders placed over the past few months for vehicle deliveries in April take into account the general mood of business at the time, which has been cautious as the economy transitions from its reliance upon the mining sector.

“Hopefully with the Federal Budget announcement next week there will be incentives for Australian business, particularly in the road transport area, and we will start to see a more positive corporate sector followed by solid economic growth in the second half of 2014.”

Aussie truck sales slump in April

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