Canada Big-Truck Sales Continue to Recover in February

Big-truck sales in Canada continued to show signs of recovery, managing an impressive 16.3% jump over February 2014. Medium- and heavy duty truck makers reported deliveries of 3,037 units compared to 2,611 from prior-year, WardsAuto data shows.

Class 8 led all segments with sales up 24.0% on deliveries of 2,052 units, nearly two-thirds of the industry’s total February volume. Volvo (+67.1%) and Freightliner (+66.6%), two of the biggest players in Class 8, were also the segment’s best performers. Peterbilt tumbled 41.5%, offsetting an 11.7% gain by Kenworth and pulling parent PACCAR overall sales down 14.3%. Mack also recorded disappointing results, sliding 24.7% on deliveries of 110 units.

Class 7 sales rose 19.1% for the month largely on the results of International, which posted a 104.2% surge with 98 units sold. Class leader Freightliner reported a 7.0% uptick while Kenworth slipped 8.1% and Peterbilt was down 11.4%.

Sales in Class 6 rose 37.0 % with 126 units booked, by far the best performing group. Freightliner volume more than doubled to 86 units, increasing its share to 68.3%. Peterbilt rose 400.0%, albeit on small volume of only 10 units while all other makers posted declines.

Class 5 was the only group to experience a decline for the month, falling 15.3% with sales of 370 units. Class leader Ford deliveries were nearly flat, up a mere 1.5%, not enough to offset losses posted by the four other brands in the group. International slid 46.4% and FCA was down 33.1%, Isuzu import models sank 27.8%.

Class 4 was flat for the month, matching last February’s deliveries of 103 units. Ford continued to dominate the small-volume segment on sales of 66 units, 18.5% below last year but still good for a 64.1% stake.

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