Judging by the latest truck sales figures published by the Truck Industry Council, 2021 may turn out to be a record year. The latest results released by the truck manufacturers peak body shows strong demand, indicating a healthy economy during the pandemic.
The total number of trucks sold in the first half of the year stood at 19,920, just 50 below the figures at the same point in 2018. That year was one where just about every sales record for Australia was broken. These figures substantially eclipse the half year total of 16,448 from last year’s Covid-ravaged market.
We are always likely to see a sales blip at the end of the financial year, but this year has surpassed expectations for a few brands. In fact Isuzu actually out did its performance from 2018 with 4,768 truck sales recorded in June, compared to 4.719 back in 2018. Hino and Fuso also surpassed 2018 figures by 543 and 148 respectively.
One of the big winners from a pre-July sales rush and, finally, getting full production from its assembly plant, was Kenworth, which blew the rest of the heavy duty truck market out of the water with a massive 325 truck delivered in June.
However, 2018 was a bumper year for heavy duty truck sales, so the year-to-date figures for most of the top sellers are below those recorded in 2018. The exception to his rule is Scania whose 576 for the first half of 2021 is 121 sales above that recorded at the same point three years ago.
The results are mixed in the medium duty segment of the truck market, so far this year. Although Isuzu retain number one status overall in the last six months, Hino out sold its rival in June. Similarly, Isuzu is well behind the record sales numbers of 2018, but Hino is well on the way to breaking records in this segment this year.
Demand remains strong in the light duty segment, with the top three brands, the Japanese, all record strong numbers and all three ahead of the record highs of 2018. In fact, 849 more light duty trucks have been sold in 2021, when compared to the 2018 numbers.
