Mixed results for year-end regos

The latest Truck Industry Council T-Mark data reveals a total of 32,003 new commercial vehicles were registered in 2015, the figure up 4.5 per cent from the 2014 figure, while the 3070 vehicles registered in December represents growth of 8.5% over the same month of the previous year.

However, those outright figures continue the prevailing trend of 2015, where surging van and light-duty truck sales mask a slump at the heavy end of the market, along with a relatively flat medium-duty sector.

OVERALL
In the overall figures, traditional market leader Isuzu continued its dominance in 2015, achieving a year-to-date total of 7442 registrations and year-on-year growth of 4.1%. The overall podium was rounded out rival Japanese brands Hino (4443 units, growth of 9.6%) and Fuso (3453 units, growth of 8.0%).

HEAVY-DUTY
In the heavy-duty market, December saw 1011 trucks registered (down 1.1%) to give a year-end tally of 9895 trucks. That's down a significant 7.5% on the previous year. Segment leader Kenworth maintained its reign with a year-end tally of 2014 units, but that figure represents a contraction of 7.9%. Second-placed Volvo achieved 1470 units for the year (up 1.4%), while Isuzu posted solid growth of 7.8% in a contracting market, with 1203 units.

In the top 10 in the heavy-duty segment only Volvo and Isuzu managed to achieve year-on-year growth, with the remaining eight brands all experiencing a contraction.

MEDIUM DUTY
Some 634 medium-duty trucks were registered in December (down 2.9%) to give a year-end tally of 6725 units (up 1.9%). Here segment leader Isuzu achieved a 2015 tally of 2743 units (a contraction of 0.4%), while second-placed Hino charged ahead with 2026 units (growth of 10.8%). Fuso rounded out the top three with 1084 units – that's growth of 1.6% over its 2014 total.

LIGHT-DUTY
The light-duty truck segment ended the year on a high, with the 985 trucks registered in December equating with growth of 24.8% over December 2014. That gave a year-end tally of 9868 units, which itself is strong growth of 12.7%.

In the light-duty segment all brands bar Mercedes-Benz posted growth, with Isuzu, Hino and Fuso filling the top three spots on the registrations ladder with tallies of 3496, 2112 and 1988 units respectively.

LIGHT-DUTY VAN
Eclipsing the performance of the light-duty truck segment, however, was the light-duty van segment. Some 440 vans were registered in December – that's growth of 20.2% over December 2014 – while the year-end tally of 5515 units equates with impressive growth of 20.5%.

Here Mercedes-Benz continues its stranglehold, its 2015 tally of 2371 vehicles representing growth of 8.3%, ahead of Renault (1361 units, staggering growth of 41.8%) and Ford (657 units, growth of 28.3%).

The TIC's Chief Executive Officer, Tony McMullan, said he was hopeful that the stronger December 2015 results pointed to improving truck sales in 2016.

"In all the 2015 finish is about what we expected," he said.

"Business confidence continues to be low when it comes to the high-dollar investments that are required to purchase new heavy trucks, while companies obviously feel more comfortable with the smaller outlays required to upgrade the light end of their vehicle fleets.

"We can only hope that the renewed sales confidence shown by transport businesses in the light truck and van segments will carry over into the heavy truck segment in 2016. With the strong December 2015 result, albeit biased still to the light end of the market, a positive sign is that business confidence continues to grow and we will hopefully see this trend continue into 2016. Of course we face a federal election year this year and I note that in past election years we tend to see business taking a cautious approach to new investments, particularly larger dollar expenditure.

"As TIC has detailed for some time now, without reasonable new sales growth across all segments, but particularly in the heavy-duty segment, the average age of the Australian truck park will continue to grow. An old truck fleet is less productive, does not employ the latest safety technologies and of course has poorer environmental outcomes.

"TIC has long called for an incentive program that would see truck operators encouraged to replace the oldest trucks in their fleets with new vehicles – perhaps we will see such a plan offered in the run-up to this year's election."

See the tables below for a full breakdown by brand…

November 2015 registrations
October 2015 registrations
September 2015 registrations
August 2015 registrations
July 2015 registrations
June 2015 registrations
May 2015 registrations
April 2015 registrations
March 2015 registrations
February 2015 registrations
January 2015 registrations
December 2014 registrations