Overall market leader Isuzu was a notable mover in the heavy-duty sector during another encouraging month of truck sales in Australia.
For the first time this year, the light- and medium-duty powerhouse muscled Volvo off its second-place perch with 163 heavy-duty sales, according to the October numbers released by the Truck Industry Council.
As impressive as that number is, however, it didn’t make the slightest dent in Kenworth’s sector domination.
In fact, the Bayswater badge, put even more ground on the rivals with a phenomenal 304 units moved, 28 trucks more than it notched in the same month in 2018, an all-time record year for sales.
Volvo slipped to third spot in October with 157 sales, but is comfortably holding second behind a dominant Kenworth in the Year-To-Date tally.
Volvo has 1328 sales vs Kenworth’s 2276.
The most interesting tussle with two months remaining is between Scania and Mercedes-Benz for fourth.
Scania took the spot in October with 115 sales vs. 108 for Mercedes-Benz, but Benz has its nose in front YTD with 1019 sales so far in 2021 vs. 963 for Scania.
In an interim Scania report released this week for January-September, Scania president and CEO Christian Levin highlighted that component shortages are still an issue but said things are improving in Europe (and globally).
A Scania source also tells us that orders continue at a strong level here into 2022.
The other notable mover in the heavy-duty sector for October was DAF, which is emerging as a serious contender to take sixth place overall for 2021 ahead of a cluster of more well-established brands.
DAF recorded 83 sales in September and followed up with 78 units in October to now sit on 513 YTD, 45 clear of Fuso.
In the medium duty sector Isuzu crushed Hino with 294 vs. 174 and now has the 2021 title in the bag, barring a miracle.