Light brigade leads charge that looks threatening
Just how hot can the commercial vehicle market get? Obviously, that remains to be seen but indications are that this boom run has a way to go.
When Isuzu Australia Ltd (IAL) launched its improved N-Series light rigid at the end of last month, the message was that it expected more records to fall, while expressing amazement that another boom was underway so soon after the last one.
Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark figures for this October presents reasons for all this bullishness.
We can begin with the blazing run of monthly totals this financial year – 3,296, 3,520, 3,685 and last month’s 3,805.
Then we can compare that with the same period in the previous peak year of 2018 – 3,344, 3,845, 3,506, 3,781.
Then we can compare this calendar year to date (YTD) figure of 34,226, breathing down the neck of 2018’s 34,446.
And then we can deduce that this one will go down to the wire.
The question being, can this year’s run continue strongly enough to make up 221 units before January?
It may come down to the volume leaders.
Looking at the boom-year comparison for makes, Isuzu’s October was at 966 with a calendar YTD of 8,266 against 2018’s 924 and 8,187 – hence the confidence in that camp.
Hino relative performance is pretty good, especially on YTD, at 473/5,162 against 511/4,647.
And Fuso is doing more than just holding its ground with 420/3,874 versus 388/3,554.
Heavy duty
The boom-year comparo is not so strong at the highest weight bracket.
October came in at 1,313/10,417 against 2018’s 1,398/11,759.
Segment leader Kenworth was trying to bridge the gap at 304/2,276 against 276/2,361.
Read how the market was performing last month, here
October was a good month for Isuzu, in that it beat Volvo to second spot, but, like the segment generally, the comparison was under: 163/1,128 – 175/1,517; Volvo at 157/1,328 – 178/1,759.
Those rising to the challenge were some of the other makes, such as Scania 115/963 – 75/734, Mercedes-Benz 108/1,019 – 106/931, DAF 78/513 – 59/393 and interestingly, if to a lesser extent, Fuso 59/478 – 51/465 and UD 68/467 – 66/456.
But they had little support otherwise.
Medium duty
Where is the momentum to create a record year to come from? We will have to look elsewhere that the mid-size market, where, of the big three, Hino is hoeing a lonely furrow.
Totals were 608/5,969 compared with the record year’s 721/6,807.
Hino’s brave game saw it at 174/1,940 – 195/1,819.
That was proof of its efforts through this calendar year as is the change in market share, 32.5 per cent against 26.7% four years ago.
Isuzu holds it a bay with 294/2,413 – 302/2,725, as Fuso posted respectable figures in its own lights of 95/1,170 – 100/1,012.
Speaking of market share, Fuso also saw its rise to 19.6% from 14.9%, with its and Hino’s rises coming at the expense of all the other makes, given they are all lower and Isuzu’s rose only 0.4%.
Light duty
As has been mentioned in truck sales coverage before, the lighter end is the engine room of turnover growth.
It is pretty plain doing the comparison with 2018, where we see 1,303/11,855 – 1,234/10,788.
It is where Isuzu most definitely comes to the aid of the party with 509/4,725 – 447/3,945.
Though beaten out for second place by Fuso with 266/2,226 – 237/2,077, Hino has had a bumper time since January, with 254/2,731 – 247/2,321.
When Isuzu Australia Ltd (IAL) launched its improved N-Series light rigid at the end of last month, the message was that it expected more records to fall, while expressing amazement that another boom was underway so soon after the last one.