The Truck Industry Council’s T-Mark truck sales figures for October have revealed a still strong sales result despite the headwinds that are hitting the Australian economy.
The industry registered a total of 4525 trucks and heavy vans in the month, a 13 per cent increase on the same month last year, when the total came to 3970. The October figures mean the year to date total for the first ten months of the year stands at 42,780, which is 3358 more than the same time last year and up 8.5 per cent on the end of October tally in 2023.
Isuzu topped the pops with 1186 sales to lead the industry with a 7.6 per cent increase on the same month last year when the market leading Japanese brand sold 1102 trucks.
While Isuzu again increased its sales, its nearest competitors Hino and Fuso had slight dips in sales, with supply issues and truck build delays at body builders causing angst at the those two brands. Hino moved 434 trucks in October, which was 70 trucks down on the same time last year, a 16 per cent drop on the 2023 result, while Fuso again relinquished its traditional third place to heavy duty leader Kenworth.
Fuso registered 343 trucks in October, placing the brand fourth behind Kenworth, which again moved a mammoth 375 trucks for the month. Kenworth’ result was a 9.3 per cent increase on its result in October 2023, and all of Kenworth’s regos came in the heavy class.
Kenworth’s result also puts it well ahead of its Brisbane based opposition from the Volvo Group in the race for heavy duty supremacy this year. While Volvo led the battle at the end of July Kenworth has raced ahead and now leads the fight for the heavy sector by 389 units after 10 months. Only an absolute drought of deliveries for Kenworth and a tsunami of orders fulfilled for Volvo could change the result in the heavy sector.
While Fuso staked out fourth in the overall market, Volvo’s 276 sales in October placed it sixth in the market overall (including four medium duty sales).
While Kenworth streeted Volvo in heavy duty sales, Isuzu again had a massive month in October in the heavy sector, moving 230 ‘big’ trucks for the month, once again closing to within an uncomfortable 42 truck margin on the Swedish heavy specialist.
The heavy duty market was slightly down on the same month last year selling 31 trucks fewer last month that the segment did in 2023. Last year 1558 heavies were sold, this year 1527, a 1.9 per cent dip year on year.
Further down the heavy pecking order Scania was fourth in the sector with 120 sales for the month, well ahead of its rivals from Mack (84 heavy duty) and Mercedes-Benz ( 80 heavy duty), while Hino with 77 and Fuso with 57 heavies, were seventh and eighth in the much watched sector. UD sold 51 heavies last month just ahead of Iveco with 46 , rounding out the top ten in the segment.
Medum duty saw a small increase in overall sales for the month compared with the same month last year, with the industry registering 698 mediums for the month. The result was a seven per cent increase on the October 2023 result.
Isuzu, ever the dominant player in medium captured just under 50 per cent of the sector with 347 trucks and 49.7 per cent of the sector, well ahead of Hino with 215 trucks and a 30.8 per cent share of the segment
Fuso was third in medium duty with 102 trucks, posting another disappointing monthly result, but still enough to cement the dominance of the Japanese brands in the medium duty sector.
Next best behind Fuso was Hyundai with eight trucks in the sector, a good result for a relatively new brand, line balling with well-established brand Iveco which also sold eight mediums.
The drop off behind those is severe, with UD moving just seven mediums, Volvo and MAN just four trucks each, while Mercedes registered two mediums and DAF just one in the sector. SEA Electric and Freightliner scored duck eggs in the segment.
After some soft results in recent months, light duty sales picked up in October with 1313 sales in the light sector, a small rise of just 3.5 per cent on the same month in 2023.
Isuzu moved 609 trucks for the month, capturing 46.4 per cent of the sector, putting it well clear of Japanese rival, Fuso, which was next best with 184 sales for the month, and a share of 14.6 per cent of the sector.
While Fuso dropped the ball in medium and heavy, it totally outshone Hino in the light sector with the Toyota controlled brand selling 142. Light duty trucks for the month to be third in the sector with 10.8 per cent share of the market.
The rise of the ‘Euro’ van based light trucks continued in October with Iveco finishing a close fourth to Hino, with 138 Daily light trucks registered for the month. Fiat moved 89 Ducato light trucks, Renaut 68 Masters, Mercedes 29 Sprinter trucks and Hyundai 23 of its Mighty light duty models. LDV and VW equalled with ten light duty models each, while Ford sold six Transits and Foton Mobility five of its all electric trucks.
In Vans sales were up for the sector by a whopping 100 per cent on the same month last year. Even accounting for new brands included in the sector the rise was a genuine result for the established players, including the dominant sector leader Mercedes Benz which almost doubles its sales on the same month last year.
Mercedes moved 302 Spinter vans in October, taking 30.6 per cent of the sector and registering a 97.3 per cent increase over the 153 vans it sold in the same month last year.
Chinese relative newcomer, LDV, again showed that its formula of good value and features is a winner in the van market, with the Ateco distributed brand selling 205 of its Delivery 9 vans, putting it well clear of Renault with 159 of its Master vans, while Ford was next selling 156 Transits.
Behind Ford, Fiat scored 81 Ducato sales, VW with 48 Crafters, Iveco with 34 Daily vans and Peugeot a disappointing two Boxer vans.
With two months to play the overall market is set for another new record despite the economic headwinds, although it may be more of a challenge in 2025 with stock shortages and slowing demand likely to wight heavily on another record chance next year.
