May commercial vehicles total gives 4,000 mark a scare
The Australian commercial vehicle sales market is making previous monthly total record levels old news, Truck Industry Council T-Mark statistics show.
The time when a level around 3,000 units was considered a rarity of bygone years is now more than accepted, with 4,000 now in reach and the market may well surpass that before the calendar year is out.
Truck and vans came in at 3,913 in May and 15,739 for the year so far after the seasonal dip in April.
The figures compare with 2008’s boom time May of 3,204 and 14,547, with boom time numbers in danger of irrelevance.
Last year, we were looking at 2,828 and 12,125.
Just on scares, Isuzu’s sale Sherpas appear to be making a sustained assault at the 1,000 units mark, having climbed to 905 across the segments. This at a time when Hino is close to summiting the 500 unit mark with 492.
Milestones abound last month.
For instance, Mercedes-Benz vans vans pushed through the 300 barrier to 307 in a year when it was held under the 200 mark and compared with May last year at 209. It is also at 1,002 for the year so far — record speed.
In the heavy duty segment, May’s 1,328 compares with April and March in the 1,100s, May 2017’s 1,014 and May 2008’s 997.
At 261, market leader Kenworth has made every post a winner this year and is comfortably above May 2008’s 207.
Volvo has a similar story at 211, while Scania has lept out of the pack to hit three figures — at 127, breathing down the neck of Isuzu after it failed to hold ground on March’s bumper 169.
Others riding the demand waver into three figures include Mack at 110 and Mercedes-Benz at 106, leaving clear space from a bunch sitting between 34 and 62.
By weight, Isuzu’s dominance starts at the medium-duty segment at 323 for the month and 1,210 for the year, with only Hino, 207 and 860, on its scent — Fuso’s run faltering at 92 and 473 after February’s strong 181.
Isuzu wins again in light-duty sales at 446 and 1,741, ahead of Fuso (269, 956), which resumed second place from Hino, despite the latter’s otherwise fine showing (241, 1,014).
Both lighter segments are well ahead of their 2008 marks.