AUSTRALIAN TRUCK MARKET ABOUT TO GET HOTTER WITH NEW RELEASE ACCORDING TO ISUZU TRUCKS

With 2021 already on track to challenge 2018’s all-time record for truck purchases, the market is set to get even hotter yet thanks to an imminent new release from the perennial sales leader, Isuzu Trucks. While the market rides high on the crest of some favourable conditions, good sales may be just the front of the storm for Isuzu, with a new release of the best-selling light-duty N Series model featuring industry-setting safety benchmarks just around the corner, according to Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) national sales manager, Mr Les Spaltman. “It may appear business as usual on the surface, but for Isuzu Trucks it has been a hive of activity underneath with brand-new product ready for imminent launch. “If a proverbial fire has been lit under the Australian market in this first six months of operations in 2021, then we cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store,” Mr Spaltman said. Proving that consistency is one of the keys to holding top position in a highly competitive—and highly innovative—market, Isuzu’s order banks mount with a 16 per cent year-on-year rise in total units sold year to date. “It is certainly shaping up to be an impressive year for truck sales, well ahead of figures from 2020 and 2019, and not far off the record of three years ago,” Mr Spaltman. “In particular, we see this in great effect within the light-duty segment supporting essential businesses in trade—an important consideration as we continue to operate under the threat of COVID-19.”

N Series delivers the goods

It is an exciting time for Isuzu as the company sits at the cusp of offering customers the most compelling light-duty package to ever hit the Australian market. “The new N series will set a new benchmark for the light-duty truck segment and prove once again that our customers can trust us to bring the best product to market. “Our message is this—the best is about to get even better. The next generation of safety is coming with our new N Series,” Mr Spaltman said. First introduced to the Australian market in 1984, the N Series’ attractive payload-to-power ratio and clever engineering immediately resonated with businesses requiring work-hard, work-smart trucks, and have ever since. From the ubiquitous ‘Aero-cube’ cabin landing in the early 90s, to the first pre-bodied Tradepack model joining the line-up in 2003—heralding the beginning of Isuzu’s domination with the phenomenally popular Ready-to-Work range—the brand has never failed to hit the right balance of operator-friendly features with intuitive design. This storied history of matching businesses with fit-for purpose product is far from over, noted Mr Spaltman.

Proven performer

Australia’s favourite truck brand is proven performer over three decades, with a reputation for delivering the industry’s best across trades, construction, freight and logistics, off-road applications, and waste and council services, to name a few. “Remaining at the top of a highly competitive market over 30 years has required not only a laser focus on product and customer but a nuanced reading of market conditions—no easy feat in the current state of play,” said Mr Spaltman. “From rising consumer confidence to new infrastructure and home-building, to the government’s ongoing business stimulus, all these factors have combined to spell out a peak in capital equipment investment and a very strong result for truck sales.” Isuzu maintains its historically steady position, leading the market with 23.8 per cent of overall share* in 2021 and showing strong performances in the medium- and heavy-duty segments with 1,546 units and 1,414 units sold respectively year-to-date. Isuzu’s impact on the market is crystal clear in the lighter spectrum, well ahead of competitors and recording unit sales of 3,251 year-to-date—30 per cent above the same period in 2020 and a 20.8 per cent increase on 2018’s record figures. *Figures according to the Australian Truck Industry Council T-Mark Report