Medium-duty trucks steady but heavy- and light-duty vehicles suffer compared with previous January
Truck manufacturers hoping for a boost to the new year and a positive pointer for the months ahead will be disappointed by January’s commercial vehicle sales figures.
Only 1,614 trucks and vans were bought, which compares unfavourably with the 1,735 that were taken in January 2014, Truck Industry Council (TIC) figures show.
The thump of this return to earth is louder still as it makes for a bigger drop from the traditionally busier month of December, as December 2014’s result was 166 units higher than December 2013’s.
As usual, there were some gains to go with those feeling early 2015 pain.
Winners in this January compared with last January included Kenworth, which lifted sales from 110 to 124, Fuso (154 to 175) and Freightliner (25 to 35).
Ladder leader Isuzu was the least of the losers, dropping just one unit to 401, despite a brave showing in heavy-duty trucks, which was up from 66 in January 2014 to 82 last month.
Those most looking to make up for a tough month include Hiino, which fell to 198 from 249 a year ago, Iveco (96 to 53) and Scania (48 to 17).
Of truck sizes, medium-duty units actually gained two sales compared with the previous January to total 336, while heavy duty was down 595 to 518 and light duty 535 to 448.
In vans, Ford 32 to 57, Fiat 28 to 35 and VW 15 to 43 will be pleased, while Mercedes-Benz will look to reverse an uncharacteristic slump, from 157 to 130.