Truck sales continue to cool

A total of 18,889 new trucks and vans were registered to the end of June 2019, the figure representing a contraction of 5.4 per cent over the first half of the previous year. In fact, of the major commercial vehicle segments, it was only the light-duty van segment that was spared the red ink.

Sales for the month of June were down by 3.8% over the June 2018 figure, with 4072 new units registered, but despite the overall year-to-date contraction there were still some brands that bucked the downward trend.

Market leader Isuzu, however, was not one of them. It's still well out in front in terms of units, with 4350 new sales over the first half of 2019, but that figure is also a drop of 7.8% over the previous corresponding period.

It's still well ahead of its nearest competitor, Hino (2698 units), which placed ahead of Fuso (1768).

The overall figures are very much a mixed bag for the first half of the year, with strong performance by brands such as Volvo (up 7.7%), Scania (up 22.8%) and Renault (up 24.1%) tempered by drops from the likes of Fuso (down 12.8%), Kenworth (down 13.4%) and IVECO (down 17.6%).

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Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 4719, 4350, -7.8
2. Hino, 2660, 2698, +1.4
3. Fuso, 2028, 1768, -12.8
4. Kenworth, 1333, 1154, -13.4
5. Volvo, 1036, 1116, +7.7
6. Mercedes-Benz, 890, 856, -3.8
7. IVECO, 936, 771, -17.6
8. Scania, 456, 560, +22.8
9. Mack, 544, 548, +0.7
10. MAN, 672, 519, -22.8
11. UD Trucks, 472, 325, -31.1
12. Fiat, 257, 217, -15.6
13. DAF, 223, 209, -6.3
14. Western Star, 182, 150, -17.6
15. Renault, 116, 144, +24.1
16. Freightliner, 244, 125, -48.8
17. Ford, 49, 67, +36.7
18. Hyundai, 29, 54, +86.2
19. Dennis Eagle, 36, 46, +27.8
20. International, 27, 28, +3.7

Sales in the heavy-duty segment fell appreciably in June, with the 1288 units recorded representing a drop of 10.1% over the same month from the previous year, while the overall year-to-date figure topped out at 6422 units – a contraction of 5.8% over the corresponding 2018 tally.

While Volvo toppled Kenworth for the month of June (225 units versus 202), it's still Kenworth leading the year-to-date sales with 1154 units, ahead of Volvo (1104) and Isuzu (789).

In contrast to the downward heavy-duty sales trend, Volvo's sales are up by 9.4%, while Scania is charging hard too – free of last year's supply issues, Scania's year-to-date tally of 558 units is up an impressive 22.6%.

Less fortunate, however, are Kenworth, Isuzu and IVECO, their year-to-date figures equating with falls of 13.4, 9.1 and 31.1% over the previous corresponding period.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Kenworth, 1333, 1154, -13.4
2. Volvo, 1009, 1104, +9.4
3. Isuzu, 868, 789, -9.1
4. Mercedes-Benz, 560, 563, +0.5
5. Scania, 455, 558, +22.6
6. Mack, 544, 548, +0.7
7. Hino, 283, 293, +3.5
8. Fuso, 246, 268, +8.9
9. IVECO, 318, 219, -31.1
10. DAF, 207, 198, -4.3
11. MAN, 254, 197, -22.4
12. UD Trucks, 240, 182, -24.2
13. Western Star, 182, 150, -17.6
14. Freightliner, 243, 125, -48.6
15. Dennis Eagle, 35, 46, +31.4
16. International, 27, 28, +3.7

Sales for the month of June were down 11.1% in the medium-duty segment with a total of 796 trucks, but the full half-year saw 3775 new vehicles on the road, equating with a smaller drop of 7.6%.

The Japanese brands continue their dominance of the segment in 2019, with Isuzu ahead of Hino and then Fuso. Major percentage gains were posted by IVECO (up 16.4%) and Hino (up 6.5%), while MAN and UD Trucks suffered drops of 23.0 and 38.4% respectively.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 1601, 1487, -7.1
2. Hino, 1092, 1163, +6.5
3. Fuso, 600, 549, -8.5
4. MAN, 418, 322, -23.0
5. UD Trucks, 232, 143, -38.4
6. IVECO, 55, 64, +16.4
7. Mercedes-Benz, 40, 22, -45.0
8. Volvo, 27, 12, -55.6
9. DAF, 16, 11, -31.3
10. Scania, 1, 2, +100.0

The Australian light-duty truck market also softened slightly in June compared the same month last year, with the 1274 new vehicle sales recorded in June representing a fall of 2.3%. The drop is more pronounced in the overall figures, with the year-end total of 5518 units down some 8.4% over the previous year's tally.

Isuzu led the way with a half-year tally of 2074 units, a drop of 7.8%, while second-placed Hino posted 1242 units (a contraction of 3.3%). The only percentage gains (in terms of sales) came at the lower end of the volumes tally, namely Renault (144 units, up 24.1%), Ford (67 units, up 36.7%) and Hyundai (54 units, up 86.2%).

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Isuzu, 2250, 2074, -7.8
2. Hino, 1285, 1242, -3.3
3. Fuso, 1182, 951, -19.5
4. IVECO, 563, 488, -13.3
5. Mercedes-Benz, 290, 271, -6.6
6. Fiat, 257, 217, -15.6
7. Renault, 116, 144, +24.1
8. Ford, 49, 67, +36.7
9. Hyundai, 29, 54, +86.2
10. Volkswagen, N/A, 10, N/A

The light-duty van segment was the only major category to post some gains, with a particularly strong June figure of 714 units representing growth of 19.2% over the same month last year. The year-to-date tally of 3174 units is 4.2% up from the 2018 mid-year total.

Mercedes-Benz continues with its stranglehold of this market and posted 2.0% growth over the first half of the year with 1300 units, more than double that of its nearest competitor, Renault, which registered sales of 557 units (down 17.1%). Ford rounds out the podium with 477 units year to date, which corresponds with growth of 6.2%.

Rank, Brand, 2018 YTD, 2019 YTD, % CHG
1. Mercedes-Benz, 1274, 1300, +2.0
2. Renault, 672, 557, -17.1
3. Ford, 449, 477, +6.2
4. Volkswagen, 256, 432, +68.8
5. Fiat, 258, 215, -16.7
6. IVECO, 136, 193, +41.9

While the Australian commercial vehicle market has slowed, it should still be noted that the falls have come off the back of an all-time record year. With the uncertainty of a Federal election now behind us, all eyes are now focused on the second half of 2019, and whether or not the market will gain a little positive momentum.