Half-year truck sales charge ahead

Who grew, who didn’t, over the first six months of Australian truck sales in 2022…

Sales momentum is continuing to build across the Australian commercial vehicle industry, with Truck Industry Council T-Mark data for June 2022 showing new registrations of 4987 vehicles for the month to give a half-year tally of 20,887 units.

The June figure is up 5.2 per cent over the same month last year (which itself set an all-time record), while the year-to-date tally is now up 4.9%. All three major truck segments – heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty – recorded strong gains for the month and for the first half of the year compared to previous corresponding periods, with the overall figures only constrained by the light-duty van segment, which has been hit hard by supply issues.

All three main truck segments are building momentum, especially the heavy-duty category.

Overall Australian commercial vehicle YTD sales, H1 2022

Rank, Brand, 2021 YTD, 2022 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 4768, 6043, +26.7%
2. Hino, 3203, 3374, +5.3%
3. Fuso, 2179, 2351, +7.9%
4. Kenworth, 1203, 1421, +18.1%
5. Volvo, 740, 1042, +40.8%
6. Mercedes-Benz, 873, 659, +24.5%
7. IVECO, 658, 654, -0.6%
8. UD Trucks, 292, 551, +88.7%
9. Scania, 576, 483, -16.1%
10. Mack, 294, 384, +30.6%
11. DAF, 257, 268, +4.3%
12. FIAT, 252, 236, -6.3%
13. Freightliner, 172, 225, +30.8%
14. MAN, 139, 207, +48.0%
15. Western Star, 162, 145, -10.5%
16. Hyundai, 126, 129, +2.4%
17. Renault, 82, 121, +47.6%
18. Volkswagen, 21, 42, +100.0%
19. Ford, 102, 29, -71.6%
20. Dennis Eagle, 79, 23, -70.9%
21. SEA Electric, N/A, 5, N/A
22. International, 19, 2, -89.5%
Total YTD: 20,887 (+4.9%)

While Isuzu and Hino are numbers one and two in the overall sales, with 6043 and 3374 units respectively, in the major blocks of Australian distributors it is Daimler (Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso) leading the charge with a total of 3235 units, ahead of Volvo Group Australia (Volvo, Mack, UD Trucks) with 1977, PACCAR Australia (Kenworth, DAF) with 1689, and Penske Commercial Vehicles (MAN, Western Star, Dennis Eagle) with 375.

Volvo experienced strong growth of 42.2 per cent in the heavy-duty segment.

Heavy-Duty Australian truck YTD sales, H1 2022

Rank, Brand, 2021 YTD, 2022 YTD, % CHG
1. Kenworth, 1203, 1420, +18.0%
2. Volvo, 718, 1021, +42.2%
3. Isuzu, 630, 1010, +60.3%
4. Scania, 576, 483, -16.1%
5. UD Trucks, 229, 460, +100.9%
6. Mack, 294, 384, +30.6%
7. Mercedes-Benz, 596, 377, -36.7%
8. Hino, 316, 372, +17.7%
9. Fuso, 280, 346, +23.6%
10. DAF, 239, 256, +7.1%
11. Freightliner, 172, 225, +30.8%
12. IVECO, 171, 222, +29.8%
13. MAN, 102, 166, +62.7%
14. Western Star, 162, 145, -10.5%
15. Dennis Eagle, 78, 23, -70.5%
16. Hyundai, 5, 4, -20.0%
17. International, 19, 2, -89.5%
Total YTD: 6916 (+19.4%)

The heavy-duty segment is really powering on. The 1594 new heavy-duty trucks registered in June represented growth of 16.0% over June 2021, while the year-to-date tally of 6916 units is up 19.4% over this time last year.

Kenworth continues to lead the segment with 1420 sales year to date, ahead of Volvo (1021), which in turn is just ahead of Isuzu (1010). However, across the blocks it's Volvo Group Australia (Volvo, Mack, UD Trucks) out in front with 1865 trucks, ahead of PACCAR Australia (Kenworth, DAF) with 1676, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso) with 948, and Penske Commercial Vehicles (MAN, Western Star, Dennis Eagle) with 334.

In the medium-duty category, Isuzu's year-to-date growth is nearly up by a third.

Medium-Duty Australian truck YTD sales, H1 2022

Rank, Brand, 2021 YTD, 2022 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 1336, 1758, +31.6%
2. Hino, 1249, 1254, +0.4%
3. Fuso, 693, 640, -7.6%
4. UD Trucks, 63, 91, +44.4%
5. IVECO, 58, 82, +41.4%
6. MAN, 37, 41, +10.8%
7. Hyundai, 27, 30, +11.1%
8. Mercedes-Benz, 33, 26, -21.2%
9. Volvo, 22, 21, -4.5%
10. DAF, 18, 12, -33.3%
11. SEA Electric, N/A, 5, N/A
Total YTD: 3961 (+12.0%)

The Japanese-dominated medium-duty truck segment also received a significant boost in June, with the 997 new trucks registered equating with growth of 19.5% over June 2021. That figure brought the six-month total to 3961 trucks, which is up 12.0% over the previous corresponding period.

Isuzu leads with 1758 units ahead of Hino on 1254, while Fuso is sitting in third with 640 units.

Fuso is also performing well, its year-to-date new registrations up by 13.2 per cent.

Light-Duty Australian truck YTD sales, H1 2022

Rank, Brand, 2021 YTD, 2022 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 2802, 3275, +16.9%
2. Hino, 1638, 1748, +6.7%
3. Fuso, 1206, 1365, +13.2%
4. IVECO, 429, 350, -18.4%
5. Mercedes-Benz, 244, 256, +4.9%
6. FIAT, 252, 236, -6.3%
7. Renault, 82, 121, +47.6%
8. Hyundai, 94, 95, +1.1%
9. Volkswagen, 21, 42, +100.0%
10. Ford, 102, 29, -71.6%
Total YTD: 7517 (+9.4%)

Registrations of new light-duty trucks grew by 1751 units in June, for growth of 8.1% over the same month last year. That brough the year-to-date tally to 7517 units, which is up 9.4% over the first half of 2021.

Isuzu continues to lead comfortably with a total of 3275 units, ahead of Hino (1748) and Fuso (1365).

The light-duty van segment is down by a third so far this year, with market leader Mercedes-Benz down 18 per cent.

Light-Duty Van Australian YTD sales, H1 2022

Rank, Brand, 2021 YTD, 2022 YTD, % CHG
1. Mercedes-Benz, 1172, 961, -18.0%
2. Renault, 572, 710, +24.1%
3. Volkswagen, 694, 314, -54.8%
4. Ford, 888, 257, -71.1%
5. IVECO, 177, 154, -13.0%
6. FIAT, 220, 97, -55.4%
Total YTD: 2493 (-33.0%)

The light-duty van segment continues to fall, the category hit hard by global supply issues. A total of 645 new vans were registered in June, a fall of 29.4% over the same month last year, while the year-to-date tally of 2493 is in fact down by a third (-33.0%) over the same time last year.

Mercedes-Benz continues to lead the segment with its Sprinter (961 units) but Renault’s Master (710) is gaining ground. The French maker was the only brand to post year-to-date growth, up 24.1%, while significant falls have been felt across all the remaining segment players.

Strong result

“Firstly, almost cracking the 5000 mark for sales in a single month is a fantastic result for the industry,” said the Chief Executive Officer of TIC, Tony McMullan.

“This capped off a great second-quarter result and combined with solid first-quarter sales, finds the market at record levels at the halfway point of the year.

“However, while truck sales remain at record levels, the van segment is a reminder of the fragility of the market’s ongoing supply chain issues that could potentially affect the truck sector too. I also see strong headwinds ahead for our economy, with rising inflation and interest rates likely to slow spending and tighten the borrowing capacity of some organisations.

“I certainly hope that sales in the second half of 2022 continue apace and that the 2018 sales mark can be surpassed, though that is not guaranteed by any means at this point in time.”