Kenworth bucks trend for third month of growth as Ford becomes a vans feather duster
Commercial vehicle sales were unable to sustain month-on-month growth in the second half of the calendar year and, at 2,692 units, fell also against the same month last year.
That it was the third-best October figures this decade – sitting under 2012’s 2,766 and last year’s 2,884, according to Truck Industry Council (TIC) figures – will be of scant solace for vehicle manufacturers.
The heavy-duty segment faltered, dropping 31 units to 862, but that masked some good figures for particular truck-makers.
Kenworth found a place above the 190s for the second month this year, at 207, seven above the spike month of June.
But it was unable to gain support, with falls either side of 20 units for Freightliner and Iveco failing to be made up by the handful of gains from each from major rivals.
It was similar story in the medium-duty segment, with the 580 total replicating July’s figure after two months in the 600s, due in large part to Hino’s spike to 235 units subsiding to 184.
Light-duty trucks also fell back 37 units to 878.
It was the segment’s third-best month for the year, with the badges zigzagging month on month within a range.
Vans were subject to the same sort of treatment, with a total of 372 down from the previous month’s 433.
Despite Mercedes-Benz holding pretty steady, Renault, at 97, was unable to hold on to three figures, falling 26 units to 97.
Ford’s fall from grace was nearly complete with just 16 units shifted, a far cry from October 2009, when that figure for the once-proud van marque stood at 112.