APRIL saw Japanese manufacturer Isuzu's dominance of the Australian truck market continue, delivering more than one quarter of all new trucks sold during the month, figures from the Truck Industry Council (TIC) showed this week.
With total sales of 4,043 vehicles, including vans with a GVM over 3.5 tonnes, the Australian market continues to push toward a new annual sales record.
Isuzu retained market leadership with 1,090 trucks delivered, easily edging out fellow Japanese manufacturers Hino (455 units) and Fuso (306 units).
Swedish manufacturer Volvo continued to hunt down the dominant Japanese brands, finishing with 362 deliveries, outperforming Fuso for the month, although it remains fourth on the Year-To-Date (YTD) charts, just 13 units away from Fuso.
A similar performance in May would see Volvo claim third in the overall rankings.
Heavy truck specialists Kenworth rounded out the top five brands for the month, as well as YTD, delivering 285 trucks for a total of 986 units since January 1.
While Australia still imports the majority of new trucks, local manufacturing does account for a significant number, with Volvo, Mack (84 units), Kenworth, IVECO (143), MAN (26), Western Star (22) and Dennis Eagle (7) all building or assembling trucks in Australia.
ALTHOUGH the battle for the truck sales crown is an all-Japanese affair, German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is comfortably ahead in the van market, delivering 299 vehicles for the month, from a total of 686 units, a market share of more than 43%.
Fellow Euro manufacturer, the French Renault brand, took out second with 145 units for a 21.1% share, totalling almost 65% of the market between the two companies.
Ford (93), FIAT (69), Volkswagen (54) and IVECO (26) rounded out the market, with no Asian brands competing in this segment.
WHILE all categories have plenty of contenders, Isuzu, unsurprisingly, dominates most of the weight divisions, winning all but the Heavy Duty segment.
In the ultra-light category, for Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) models up to 4495kg, Isuzu (357) held out Mercedes-Benz (335), with Renault (150) a distant third, just ahead of a surging FIAT (144).
Despite being outsold by the top four, Hino (130), Fuso (108), IVECO (101) and Ford (100) all sit ahead of FIAT in the YTD sales race.
Volkswagen (56), Hyundai (19) and Chinese brand Foton Mobility (7) rounded out the market.
IN THE Light Duty segment (4,500 - 8,000kg GVM), it was Isuzu (523) first, and daylight second, with Hino (199) and Fuso (162) battling for the runner-up position.
IVECO (97) took out fourth, and first non-Japanese manufacturer, while FIAT continued its resurgence with 75 units, ahead of Mercedes-Benz (47), Hyundai (23), Foton Mobility (8), Ford (7), Renault (5) and Volkswagen (2).
These monthly deliveries do not correspond with the YTD tallies, with the cumulative figures showing the leaders as Isuzu, Hino and Fuso, ahead of IVECO, Mercedes-Benz, FIAT, Hyundai, Renault, Foton Mobility, Ford and Volkswagen.
MOVING into the heavier categories, Isuzu was again dominant in the Medium Duty (8,001 - 16,000kg GVM) group, rolling out 347 trucks, ahead of Hino (189) and Fuso (73), followed by IVECO with 12 trucks.
UD Trucks were fifth, just one behind with 11 trucks delivered, while Hyundai and Volvo delivered nine units each, followed by the German MAN brand (4), Mercedes-Benz (2) and Freightliner with one unit delivered.
ROUNDING out the categories with possibly the most visible models, the Heavy Duty (GVM over 16,000kg) division was again a battle between Volvo and Kenworth, the Swedish brand triumphing 353 units to 285, while Isuzu kept the leaders in sight, delivering 220 units.
Scania continued a solid 2024 performance with 145 deliveries, followed by a tense battle between Mercedes-Benz (88 trucks) and Mack (84), with the American brand just hanging on in the YTD stakes, 324 to 321.
UD Trucks sold 78 units, just ahead of Fuso (71), Hino (67), DAF (57), IVECO (34) and Western Star and MAN, both delivering 22 trucks for the month, Freightliner (17) and Dennis Eagle (7), while the Canadian-owned SEA Electric had no deliveries for during April.
A KEY point in the truck sales figures is the long lead-time for many brands, with more than half of all new trucks fully imported, meaning monthly deliveries do not always reflect monthly orders taken by dealers.
Another significant factor is the fitment of locally manufactured bodies and accessories to both Australian-built and imported models alike, with any delays in the 'after market' potentially holding up delivery of otherwise finished vehicles.
While interest rates have remained steady in recent months, the increased cost of financing new vehicles can also impact purchase decisions, although the current rate of sales do point towards another record year for the local truck market.
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