However, the Truck Industry Council (TIC) reports that despite the market softening, year-to-date combined truck and van sales are at their second-highest level on record.

The total number of heavy vehicles, light-duty trucks and vans, medium-duty trucks and heavy-duty trucks sold in June totalled 4072 units. This was down on the 4231 sold in the corresponding month last year but was still the second-best June result on record.

The TIC said the June sales result was significant because it represented only the second time ever that the heavy truck and van market in Australia had broken through the 4000-vehicle mark for a single month.

 This was an indication that while “the market has slowed”, it has “certainly not crashed”, the TIC report said.

“At the half-year point of calendar year, 2019 sales sit at 18,889, down on last year’s record of 19,970 by almost 1100 vehicles, but again, the second-best first-half year on record after 2018,” the council said.

Toyota HiAce

Van sales countered the 4.5 per cent drop in light, medium and heavy-duty truck sales, with the June van figures up 9.1 per cent on the same month in 2018.

TIC chief executive Tony McMullan said the downturn in truck sales was not unexpected after a record year in 2018.

“It has to be remembered that 2019 has been a federal election year and that always tempers the economy and new heavy-vehicle sales,” he said.

“It is encouraging to see such strong sales in the light-duty van segment, against the industry trend. If sales continue at this rate for the remainder of the year, we are shaping up for a solid 2019.”

In the sub-2.5t GVM van category, sales in June were up 9.1 per cent.

The Volkswagen Caddy (295) remained the best seller, commanding a 68.1 per cent share of the segment last month. It was followed by the Renault Kangoo (112), with a 25.9 per cent stake.

The 2.5-3.5t segment was dominated by the Toyota HiAce (884) with a 37.3 per cent share of the market, followed by the Hyundai iLoad (506) with 21.3 per cent. This segment has fallen 9.9 per cent for the year to date, but lifted 5.7 per cent in June.

Hyundai iLoad

The heavy-duty truck segment continued to retract in June with 1288 deliveries, down 10.1 per cent (some 145 trucks) over the same month in 2018.

“Looking at quarter two 2019 in isolation, we again see the sector down when compared to last year’s record second-quarter sales,” the council said.

“Reviewing the first half-year result, heavy-duty trucks sales are in a better place, though still down, due to a strong first-quarter result in 2019, 6422 sales verses 6820 sales to the end of June 2018, a reduction of 5.8 per cent – 398 fewer heavy truck registrations in 2019.”

The medium-duty segment is contracting at a similar level to the heavy-duty segment in 2019 with 796 trucks delivered in June, down 11.1 per cent (-99 units) over June 2018.

The TIC reported that the light-duty truck segment (trucks with a GVM between 3500kg and 8000kg) had taken the biggest hit in 2019, though the month of June was a little better than most this year with 1274 trucks delivered, down only 2.3 per cent (30 units) over June 2018.

The Isuzu N-Series leads this segment, posting 347 sales last month for a 43.6 per cent share, ahead of the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (430) which had a 21.6 per cent slice of the category – up 23.2 per cent on the same month last year.

The TIC said that at the half-way point of the year, the van tally stands in positive territory at 3174 units, up on 2018 YTD sales by 4.2 per cent (129 vans) and “that too is a new record for first-half year light-duty van sales in Australia”.

By Neil Dowling

Volkswagen Caddy