Isuzu Trucks is celebrating another year of dominance with the title of New Zealand’s leading truck brand for 21 straight years.
“We certainly realised that during challenging times, such as we’ve all experienced last year due largely to COVID-19, qualities relating to trust and dependability become so important,” Isuzu Trucks NZ general manager Dave Ballantyne says.
“Isuzu Trucks has earned a reputation based on such attributes, and the ongoing success of the brand is evidence of this.”
Despite market pressures throughout the year, Isuzu Trucks maintained a healthy overall share across light, medium and heavy segments, achieving a combined total of 22.4%.
“This result was an improvement of 0.2% compared with what we achieved in 2019, which is remarkable considering the general uncertainty present for a good portion of 2020,” Ballantyne says.
Sales of light duty Isuzu N-Series trucks to fast moving consumer goods suppliers as well as home delivery service operators were a feature of the final sales result, complemented by strong sales of medium duty F-Series models in the general freight sector and healthy demand from fleet customers.
“The surge in inquiry and sales of these types of models is attributable, in part, to changes in consumer buying patterns as a result of COVID-19 lockdown requirements, where people were doing supermarket shopping from home as well as ordering parcel delivery online.”
The nationwide network of Isuzu Master Truck dealerships and authorised service centres also played their part in helping to keep wheels moving throughout the trying 12-month period.
“We could never achieve what we do without the support and involvement of our partners,” Ballanytne says.
“They’re at the forefront of our operation and are a huge support for our brand and our many customers. They really are key to our unprecedented run as number one.”
New arrival coming soon
And there’s more good reason for the team at Isuzu Trucks and their customers to smile, with news that a new N-Series will touch down in New Zealand later this year.
“The new model will offer users of this light-duty vehicle enhanced safety, improved technology and increased specification levels,” Ballantyne says.
“We’re eagerly anticipating its arrival and can’t wait to introduce it to our loyal customers.”
