Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
Canada’s big trucks finished the year on a positive note, posting sales gains for the third month in a row as December deliveries rose 18.8% with all segments reporting increases from year-ago, WardsAuto data shows.
Combined medium- and heavy-duty deliveries for full-year 2014 were up 5.2% on volume of 42,496 units, against 40,398 year-ago.
Class 8 deliveries jumped 18.7%, lifted by International, up 53.9% to 359 units, while Daimler’s Freightliner brand rose 36.7%. PACCAR’s Kenworth saw sales increase 38.3%, although its Peterbilt brand experienced a loss of 14.3%. For the year, Class 8 finished up 5.9% on volume of 29,043 units against 27,430 in 2013.
Sales in the medium-duty segment showed a robust 19.1% gain for the month as calendar 2014 deliveries finished up 3.7%.
Class 7 sales posted double-digit gains, up 21.4%, mostly due to a 68.0% spike by share leader International. Freightliner logged the strongest result, up 78.9%, and Ford was up 37.1%.
Class 6 was the best-performing sector in December as three manufacturers reported triple-digit gains. Peterbilt(+452.0%), Ford(+380.0%) and Freightliner(+212.0) led the group. International was the only brand to lose ground, falling 66.8%. For the year, however, the class finished down 5.4%.
Class 5 deliveries increased 14.7% to 534 units compared with 447 year-ago. Freightliner led the group, posting a 476.0% increase, while FCA was up 44.9%. Top seller Ford reported a 4.6% gain.
Isuzu continued to lead Class 4 with sales of its domestic and import models up 236.0% and 284.0%, respectively. The overall segment finished December on a 1.1% uptick but was down 7.6% for the year.
