The new truck market started 2014 where it left off in 2013 – up 27.5% in sales for January, which was almost exactly the percentage by which last year’s sales were up on 2012 (27.4%).
However, Colin Muir sales and marketing manager for market-leader Isuzu, does not expect this rate of growth to be maintained throughout 2014.
“It’s not going to be 27.5% growth this year – it’s more likely to be up around 5%,” he says.
“Last year many of the companies were tooling-up and buying new equipment. This year is going to be stable with some growth – but it’s not going to be the rock star year that 2013 was.”
Some 325 new trucks over 3500 kg were sold last month, compared with just 225 a year earlier.
Used import truck sales (over 3500 kg) did not do so well in January, being up by only two units over the same month a year ago – 119 this January to 117 in 2013.
As usual, Isuzu was the top selling new truck brand in January with 48 registrations – up from 40 a year earlier – but it was followed closely by MAN with sales up a huge 800% to 45, from only five in January 2013.
Hino was another brand to excel last month, it’s 44 sales more than doubling the 20 it sold a year earlier.
Mitsubishi Fuso was another new truck brand to sees its sales climb in January, by 26.9%, from 26 units in January 2012, to 33 last month.
In fifth place, Marced-Benz recorded a 47.1% lift in sales, from 17 the previous January to 25 last month, while Fiat did even better with a 50% increase in sales, from 12 a year ago to 18 this January.
Not to be outdone, UD Trucks lifted sales by 66.7% from nine a year ago to 15 last month.
Among the few new truck brands to show a drop in sales, were Volvo (down 17.6% from 17 sales to 14), Freightline (down 15.4% from 13 to 11), Kenworth (down #1.3% from 16 to 11) and DAF ( down a hefty 58.8% from 17 in January 2013, to
only seven last month.
In the market for used import trucks, sales of minor makes outside the top nine fell by 51.4%, from 35 in January last year to only 17 last month.
MAN’s sales also fell almost by half from 23 in January last year to only 12 last month.
Grabbing the lion’s share of the used import truck market in Januarywere Isuzu on 23 units (up from 12 a year earlier), and Toyota on 21 (up from10 sales).
