Despite reports in other publications and websites the Truck Industry Council’s commercial vehicle sales for November show a rise on the result in the same month last year.
Far from talking up the industry it flies a flag for and lobbies for, the Truck Industry Council is talking the results down and making exceptions for two new van brands, saying that without these additions the sales numbers would be in decline.
That thinking of course neglects to take in the fact that the two new van brands, LDV and Peugeot actually sold the vans in question and that someone actually bought them.
Looking at pure sales numbers for the commercial vehicle market in November 2023 there were 4322 trucks and vans sold in Australia, up on the 4224 sold in the same month last year.
Last time we looked at our calculator that represents an increase, no matter how you cut it. In fact it is a 2.3 per cent increase on the November 2023 sales numbers. Given the economic headwinds facing the economy at the moment the truck industry should be holding its head high as a shining light in a down market.
While the three truck weight sectors – heavy, medium and light duty were all down, all were only off last years numbers by relatively small margins. Light duty with 1255 sales last month was down just 39 units on the same month last year, amounting to a three per cent drop. Medium duty sold 703 trucks for the month, 52 less than it did in 2023, a drop of just six per cent and heavy duty sales tallied 1387 sales, a drop of 13.6 per cent, or 220 units on November last year.
Isuzu was again the clear market leader overall selling a total of 1152 trucks for the month, seven units more than it did in November last year. The market leader dominated sales with a 26.7 per cent share of the market, more than doubling the sales of its nearest rival Hino, which sold 456 units in November for 10.6 per cent of the overall market.
The other major Japanese truck brand Fuso recovered somewhat from the slight slump it suffered in recent months to claim back third overall from heavy duty king, Kenworth. Fuso moved 347 trucks to take third place, just seven trucks ahead of Kenworth in November, while Volvo’s numbers were down with just 218 trucks sold for the month, placing the Swedish maker fifth overall.
Mercedes Benz was sixth in the overall market with 140 sales. Some of the Benz sales were the van based Sprinter light trucks which are sold through the separate Mercedes Benz vans division of the Daimler empire. Benz sold 102 heavy duty models, two mediums and 35 light duty Sprinter cab chassis variants.
Iveco was close behind in seventh, also thanks to the contribution of its Daily van based cab chassis light duty models, with the Italian owned brand selling 135 units in November . The Daily cab chassis models accounted for 105 of these sales, while it moved just 18 heavy duty models and 12 mediums.
Rounding out the top ten was Scania with a strong 99 sales ( all heavy duty), Mack with 62 and UD with 56 units.
Kenworth further distanced itself from Volvo in the race for heavy duty dominance, which despite being neck and neck back in July, has seen the US brand race ahead over the last three months. KW’s 338 sales were all in heavy duty taking it to a very strong lead with just one month remaining. The Paccar brand tally year to date, stands at 3416 up to the end of November, almost 200 more than its YTD tally at the same time in 2023, and 512 ahead of Volvo’s score so far this year.
Underlining Isuzu’s continued strength in heavy duty it again outsold Volvo in November with the Japanese brand registering 225 trucks for the month. It may only have been a ten truck margin, but it was a significant result all the same.
The success of Isuzu in heavy duty underlines the sales it has picked up in a range of vocational applications, as a result of the now defunct Iveco Acco models. It also creates an interesting scenario for Isuzu and Volvo, with the former desiring the right to sell UD trucks here in Australia, particularly using the Volvo developed 13 litre engine. Isuzu purchased the UD brand in April 2021, and we understand negotiations around accessing the 13 litre UD for Australia, along with other UD models is ongoing and apparently hard fought, particularly given Volvo Group Australia retained the distribution and sales of UD in Australia, even though Isuzu now sells the brand in Japan and other markets.
Isuzu already sells a 13 litre Volvo-engined model under its own brand plate in Japan and it believed its local execs are keen to have that model Down Under. Given the strategic ground that Volvo would lose in this market, it won’t be and has apparently so far, not been an easy argument to win.
With Kenworth, Isuzu and Volvo taking the three podium spots in heavy duty, registering 778 of the 1387 heavy duties sold for the month between the three of them, or 56 per cent of the sector, the rest had to carve up the remaining 44 per cent.
The best of the rest in heavy duty was Mercedes Benz with a pleasing tally of 103 trucks, just ahead of Scania with 99, Hino with 71 and Mack with 62, while Man with 59, Fuso with 54 and UD with 54 rounded out the top ten in the heavy sector.
In Medium Duty Isuzu ruled the roost with a tally of 323 sales in November, about 50 down on its tally for the same month last year. While Isuzu was down, Hino was also off slightly, down11 units up on its November 2023 score with a total of 222 mediums for the month. Fuso turned its recent slump around with 113 mediums sold in November, a figure that was up 35 on its 23 result.
Athough it was along way back in fourth, Korean brand Hyundai was the best of the rest selling 12 of its medium offerings, line ball with the long established Iveco also with 12 trucks.
Behind that the numbers peter out very quickly , with Man on eight, UD on six, Volvo with three mediums and DAF and Mercedes both selling two each.
The light duty sector saw Isuzu top the class with 604 trucks registered in November, 70 more than it sold in November last year and more than three times the tallies of both Fuso and Hino. Fuso trumped its Toyota owned rival for the month, selling 180 Canters, to Hino’s 163 300 series light duties with the three Japanese brands holding 75.4 per cent of the sector between them.
For all of that Iveco had a strong month selling 105 of its Daily cab chassis truck models to be fourth in the sector, 51 units clear of its sibling brand Fiat and French brand Renault, both scoring 54 sales of its light duty bonneted trucks. Rounding out the top ten in the light sector, Mercedes moved 35 f its Sprinter based light trucks, LDV with 19, Volkswagen with 16 and Ford with 10.
Hyundai sold nine of its Mightys and Foton Mobility moved six of its electric light trucks.
In the van segment Mercedes dominated with a total of 335 of its Sprinters hitting the road in November, well clear of LDV in second with 209 sales. They were followed by Renault with 171, Ford with 140 , and then Fiat and Volkswagen both with 45 sales, Iveco with just 31 Daily models and Peugeot with just one of its big box vans.
All in all with an industry that is 3455 units ahead of where it was YTD at the end of November last year, the industry needs to be cheering that it has weathered the difficult economic conditions as it heads to another annual sales record at the end of this month.