Can anything or any other brand stop Isuzu from holding supreme at the top of the Australian truck sales charts ?
It seems unlikely, at least in the short term with the brand again claiming overall victory in the truck market for the 32ndconsecutive year. It is a remarkable record that rolls on year after year with seemingly no chance for other brands to bridget the gap.
This was despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented, including restrictions to regular operations, significant disruption to international and local supply chains, all of which only served to make the achievement all the more impressive.
Apart from a minor hiccup in November when Hino sold slightly more medium duty trucks than Isuzu, it was another year when Isuzu dominated the light and medium sectors and was generally in the top three or four in heavy.
Isuzu’s national sales manager, Les Spaltman, said that Isuzu’s 32-year milestone has been accomplished using ‘a combination of astute planning and Isuzu’s formula of supporting local businesses with fit-for-purpose transport solutions’.
“It’s been a notable year for our brand’s history. 32 years at the top of an extremely competitive truck market is a fantastic feat and we’re very proud of all involved.
“But we acknowledge too, it has been a challenging time for many of our customers, our dealer network and the wider trucking industry.
“Our focus has been supporting the dealer network in safe operations and supporting essential businesses wherever we can, keeping their trucks out on the road.
“Although the path forward has been uncertain at times, one thing has never been clearer…we are what we do,” Les continued.
“We’ll reflect on our position as Australia’s truck market leader but will continue to deliver results for our customers all over the country. We’re feeling optimistic about the year ahead,” he said
As we have previously reported Isuzu finsihed 2020 with a total of 8,276 units sold, and a 24 per cent share in the Australian truck market. In light duty Isuzu captured a remarkable 39.5 per cent share of the segment with 4,353 units sold in 2020.
Despite Hino’s small victory in November, Isuzu took a 40.5 per cent share of medium duty for the year with a tally of 2668 trucks for the 12 months to the end of December.
Underlining the brand’s strength across all segment while in heavy Isuzu finished third behind Kenworth and Volvo with 1255 trucks and 11.8 per cent market share.
Commenting on the performance of the industry in 2020, Isuzu COO, Andrew Harbison, said the commercial vehicle market has proven to be admirably robust through some trying circumstances.
“I would like to acknowledge the impact of the government’s economic stimulus, in particular, the instant asset write-off and accelerated depreciation measures, which we know assisted many businesses in the sector and many other industries too,” Harbison continued.
“Last year certainly brought home the need to work together as an organisation and throughout the broader road transport industry—to find new and collaborative ways of doing business,” he said.
