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Truck sales warm to the task in March

Totals a little down on last year but with exceptions

 

As the truck market marks the first quarter of the calendar year, the monthly trend so far has held up – a bit down on last year but above 2017.

The quarter comes in at 8,318, more than 300 units down on 2018 but more than 1,200 units above the same total in 2017, according to Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark figures.

And while this March, was down on last March’s 3,447 (and up on 2017’s 2,962), sales executives will be heartened that monthly totals have followed previous years in growing in each month of the new year – 2,196 and 2,826 to 3,296.

So it follows that market leader Isuzu is 89 units under last March and 151 down for the year to date but is taking no backwards step month-on-month.

Interestingly, several makes are refusing to take the hint that records are for last year, with Hino seeing a year-to-date up 43 units 1,224 and its March at 17 units up on last March.

Fuso has also made up for a laggardly start, with its March 31 units up on last March.

Of the big bangers, Volvo is up 15 units on last March to 203 and 98 units to 501 on the YTD comparison.

Mack, too, up 13 to 111 and up 11 to 256 YTD.

Franking again the confidence shown at the end of last year was Scania, up 21 to 115 and a strong 87 for 246 YTD.


Read how the previous month’ssales performance went, here


Part of Isuzu’s recent relative softness is in the heavy duty segment, where March’s 117 units were down precipitately from last March’s 169 and even from February’s 126.

The segment as a whole is also marching forward resolutely, up 11 units on the previous March and 12 units to 2,915 YTD.

No such joy on the medium-duty front generally, down from 1,768 to 1,651 YTD and 742 to 664 for the respective months.

But it was where Fuso was able to shine for the month up to 136 from 115.

The light-duty segment paints a fascinating picture, with YTD total down from 2,575 last year to 2,406 and monthly totals from 994 to 941 this month.

But whereas Isuzu had a YTD reversal from 956 to 907, its March comparison was up from 358 to 367.

Not to be outdone, Hino did well in both – YTD up from 500 to 596 and March comparison up from 205 to 217.

 

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