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Hino, Fuso battle for vice-champion in sales race

Isuzu still on top of sales, but who won the battle between Hino and Fuso for second spot?

By Gary Worrall | December 10, 2009

Isuzu remains unbeaten as the biggest-selling truck brand in Australia, but the battle between Hino and Fuso intensified in a month that showed more encouraging signs for vehicle manufacturers.

In nail-biting result, Hino retained second place in total sales for November. It delivered 306 units, a single vehicle ahead of Fuso.

With customer orders for the new automatic Canter models out-stripping the available supply from Japan, Fuso grabbed second place in October and all eyes were on the Japanese arm of the Daimler group to see if it could repeat the result.

Kenworth, in a mirror image of Isuzu’s outright stranglehold, retained the mantle of most popular heavy truck, putting 136 trucks on the road.

That put the Paccar brand fourth outright in sales, no mean feat when viewed in the context of Kenworth only operating in the heavy duty category.

Iveco, predominantly due to the popularity of its timeless ACCO range, took out fifth on the sales chart after delivering 104 units for the month, the only other manufacturer to break the 100 units barrier.

While there is no doubt the calendar year totals will be significantly reduced compared to 2007 and 2008, there is also plenty of confidence amongst manufacturers that sales are beginning to return. Next year should see the market reach an equilibrium point somewhere between the high and low points.

Manufacturers are showing this increased confidence in a variety of ways, including targeted customer events such as Isuzu’s round-Australia marathon heavy vehicle cavalcade, allowing regional and rural dealers to offer customers access to a variety of Isuzu’s new heavy duty trucks.

Mack Trucks also recently held its ‘Weapons of Mass Construction’ customer event in Sydney, showcasing the bulldog breed’s commitment to the mining and construction sectors.

With December often a scramble to deliver trucks ahead of both Christmas and the New Year, it is unlikely any sales records will be set during the last 31 days of the year. But the same scramble to finish jobs could see body builders pumping out finished trucks in a bid to clear order books ahead of the December 31 deadline.

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