After a catastrophic fall coming into 2009 the sales figures have stabilised at a level over 30% lower than 2008 according to VFACTS. Heavy duty has taken the biggest hit at 35% down while medium duty numbers have dropped 30% and those in the light duty sector have decreased 25%, according to ERG.

 Many businesses are still finding their feet in this global financial crisis and investment in new equipment has been put on the back burner by many truck buyers. Conversely, truck dealers have seen truck parts sales climb significantly this year as operators choose to repair rather than replace.

Click through the slide show below to see the trends of the year so far:

 

 
 
Always a dominant player, Isuzu, have lost numbers off their totals but have increased market share, they are fighting harder for the sales out there. Their nearest rivals, Hino and Fuso have lost 33% and 26%, compared with a fall of 21.9% for Isuzu for the year to date.

At the heavy end of the market with the highest falls, year on year, the struggle continues but seems to be holding at a low level. Kenworth are showing a decrease in sales of nearly 40% compared with 2008 but can see some light as their stablemate DAF are the best performers of the year, showing an increase of 35% compared with last year.

The tightness of the market in medium duty has seen the European manufacturers just about squeezed out by the big four Japanese brands with just 23 sales out of a total of 517 for April 2009 being for non-Japanese brands.

Light duty sales are down, but not as much as the heavies, just 25%. Fuso and, especially, Hino have performed well, with both of them gaining market share on the long term number one, Isuzu.
 

Australia’s love affair with Kenworth trucks is talked about all over the world as can be seen from this story on Brian Weatherley’s BigLorry Blog in the UK.

The shot is of a DAF steel truck parked up outside the Brown and Hurley dealership in Brisbane with the truck driver telling people he wanted a Kenworth K108. 

Anyway, it is a good looking half cab and the Kenworth would have been too much to handle so get on with it!

Read the full story at BigLorry Blog

“The Test Centre will play an important role in the future development of more efficient and cleaner engines, and enable DAF to build on its leading position in engine development,” said Aad Goudriaan, president of DAF Trucks.

“The investment of over $85 million in this ultramodern Test Centre also underlines the importance our parent company Paccar. attaches to the knowledge and experience that DAF has built up in more than fifty years of engine development and production.”

Apart from engines for DAF, the company also develops engines for Peterbilt and Kenworth, the other truck marques of Paccar.