This year the truck market got off to a strong start, topping last year’s record result for the first five months, before a cooling in June that ran through to August. September sales data from the Truck Industry Council (TIC), however, indicates the market is picking back up.
Whether another record year is on the cards is anyone’s guess, but year-to-date truck sales of 38,255 against last year’s 35,452 result at the end of September tell a positive story.
Total sales for September came in at 4,546 units (including light-duty vans), representing a significant 14.9 percent uptick against the August figure of 1,308 sales. The September numbers are also up 14.9 percent on the same month last year, when a total of 3,954 units were sold.
Heavy-duty truck sales totalled 1,530 units for the month of September, bringing the year-to-date total to 12,858 units – up on the same period last year when 12,652 trucks had been sold. Kenworth topped the sales ladder for the month with 382 trucks sold, followed by Volvo with 286 units shifted. Isuzu took third place, with 207 sales.
The medium-duty segment continues to be outperformed by the light- and heavy-duty ends of the market, but with 709 sales across September the year-to-date tally now stands at 6,025 units – up 2.5 percent on the same period last year. Isuzu remains dominant in the medium segment achieving 350 sales for the month, with Hino trailing at 201 units, and Fuso coming in at third but a long way off the pace with 99 trucks sold.
The light-duty segment is a consistent performer and is showing no signs of slowing down, with 1,327 units sold across September for a year-to-date total of 10,827 sales. This is, however, down 12 percent on the 2023 result across the same period. Isuzu retains a sizeable lead with 540 sales across September, and 4,973 sales so far this year – making up almost half of all light-duty truck sales.
A growing segment is light-duty vans, notching up 980 sales in June for an annual total of 8,545 – up 89.4 percent on the same period last year. In terms of the sales ladder, LDV and Mercedes-Benz are duking it out for top spot – with LDV sitting at 2,237 sales and Mercedes-Benz at 2,331 year-to-date.
