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 truck makers continue to outpace 2016 with large gains in all classes. Medium- and heavy-duty truck sales grew 17.3% in August to 3,284 units compared to 2016’s 2,691. Year-to-date sales were 10.8% ahead of last year, totaling 26,251.
For the third month in a row, Canada Class 8 sales rose 18.4% to 2,228. Aside from Freightliner’s 6.1% drop in sales, all other truck makers posted large gains. International (+69.5%), Kenworth (+25.3%) and Volvo (+34.0%) were the top three manufacturers in terms of growth for the month. Through the first eight months of the year, sales hit 16,001 units, 5.8% ahead of like-2016’s 15,121.
Medium-duty truck sales were up 15.3% with 1,056 deliveries in August. With eight straight months of year-over-year gains, 2017 sales totaled 10,250 deliveries, up 19.5% from last year’s 8,575.
Class 7, the only class to underperform in August, plummeted 32.5% to 313 units from year-ago’s 446. Ford and Hino were the only truck makers to see growth, 476.9% and 57.5%, respectively. Volume leader International cut sales in half, dropping to 131 units, and double-digit declines by Freightliner (-42.3%) and PACCAR (-24.7%) kept sales in the negative.
Sales in Class 6 grew 15.7% to 77 deliveries. International and PACCAR posted large gains of 428.8% and 212.5%, respectively, while all other truck makers underperformed but on small volume.
Class 5 accounted for the bulk of big-truck gains, with nearly all brands enjoying double-digit increases. Sales almost doubled to 501 units, compared with 264 year-ago. Ford led all brands, posting a 98.4% gain and raising its stake to 45.3% from 41.7% in prior-year.
Class 4 sales hit 165 units, 48.3% up from last year’s 107. Class leader Ford reported an 80.1% increase, raising its stake to 71.5%, up from 58.9% last year. Isuzu’s domestic line dropped 14.0% but its imports rose 70.9%. Hino’s sales were cut in half, dropping to only five deliveries.
