Falling Australian truck sales continue

The Australian truck and van market experienced a tough month for sales in September, the 3170 new registrations recorded representing a contraction of 9.6 per cent over the same month last year.

While 2018 was an all-time-record year for sales in the commercial vehicle industry, the market has cooled off in 2019, with the 28,550 new vehicle registered to the end of September (TIC TMARK data) equating with a fall of 6.9%.

Falls were experienced for both the month of September and in year-to-date figures across the heavy-, medium- and light-duty truck segments, while the light-duty van segment posted modest growth.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 7263, 6571, -9.5
2. Hino, 4136, 4093, +1.1
3. Fuso, 3166, 2571, -18.8
4. Kenworth, 2085, 1688, -19.0
5. Volvo, 1614, 1677, +3.9
6. Mercedes-Benz, 1435, 1293, -9.9
7. IVECO, 1360, 1185, -12.9
8. Scania, 662, 859, +29.8
9. MAN, 903, 803, -11.1
10. Mack, 801, 785, -2.0
11. UD Trucks, 738, 494, -33.1
12. Fiat, 456, 433, -5.0
13. DAF, 358, 349, -2.5
14. Renault, 192, 225, +17.2
15. Freightliner, 328, 217, -33.8
16. Western Star, 271, 212, -21.8
17. Ford, 64, 86, +34.4
18. Hyundai, 64, 80, +25.0
19. Dennis Eagle, 52, 71, +36.5
20. International, 35, 41, +17.1

Sales in the heavy-duty segment fell by 11.0% in September over the same month last year, with the 1064 registrations. The year-to-date figure was sitting at 9507 units at the end of September – a contraction of 8.2% over the corresponding 2018 tally.

While Volvo toppled Kenworth for the month of September (198 units versus 177), it's still Kenworth leading the year-to-date sales with 1688 units, ahead of Volvo (1656) and Isuzu (1151).

Just four brands have recorded year-to-date sales growth to the end of September: Volvo (up 4.7%), Scania (up 29.9%), International (up 17.1%) and Dennis Eagle (up 39.2%).

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Kenworth, 2085, 1688, -19.0
2. Volvo, 1581, 1656, +4.7
3. Isuzu, 1342, 1151, -14.2
4. Scania, 659, 856, +29.9
5. Mack, 801, 785, -2.0
6. Mercedes-Benz, 825, 774, -6.2
7. Hino, 438, 437, -0.2
8. IVECO, 425, 359, -15.5
9. Fuso, 414, 345, -16.7
10. DAF, 334, 331, -0.9
11. UD Trucks, 390, 298, -23.6
12. MAN, 367, 283, -22.9
13. Freightliner, 327, 217, -33.6
14. Western Star, 271, 212, -21.8
15. Dennis Eagle, 51, 71, +39.2
16. International, 35, 41, +17.1

Sales for the month of September were down 5.0% in the medium-duty segment with a total of 622 trucks, but the year-to-date tally of 5673 new vehicles equates with a drop of 6.8%.

The Japanese brands continue their dominance of the segment in 2019, with Isuzu ahead of Hino and then Fuso. Hino, however, is the only leading brand to have bucked the downward trend, posting year-to-date growth of 7.6%

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 2423, 2234, -7.8
2. Hino, 1624, 1747, +7.6
3. Fuso, 912, 811, -11.1
4. MAN, 536, 520, -3.0
5. UD Trucks, 348, 196, -43.7

The Australian light-duty truck market suffered a steep drop in September compared the same month last year, with the 986 new vehicle sales recorded representing a fall of 16.7%. The drop is less pronounced in the overall figures, with the year-end total of 8567 units down some 10.3% over the previous year's tally.

All of the top-five best-selling brands experienced a contraction in year-to-date sales by the end of September.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 3498, 3186, -8.9
2. Hino, 2074, 1909, -8.0
3. Fuso, 1840, 1415, -23.1
4. IVECO, 828, 736, -11.1
5. Mercedes-Benz, 536, 486, -9.3

The light-duty van segment was the only major category to post some gains, with a September figure of 498 units representing growth of 5.7% over the same month last year. The year-to-date tally of 4803 units is 3.0% up from the corresponding 2018 figure.

Mercedes-Benz continues with its stranglehold of this market and posted 6.8% growth over the first three quarters of the year with 2127 units, more than double that of its nearest competitor, Renault, which registered sales of 836 units (down 15.8%). Ford rounds out the podium with 670 units year to date, which corresponds with growth of 13.8%.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Mercedes-Benz, 1992, 2127, +6.8
2. Renault, 993, 836, -15.8
3. Ford, 589, 670, +13.8
4. Volkswagen, 442, 598, +35.3
5. Fiat, 380, 319, -16.1