Canada Big Truck Sales Up 7.2% in April

Medium- and heavy-duty truck sales in Canada climbed 7.2% in April, the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year increases and the best April since 2008. Deliveries hit 4,037 units, compared with 3,765 from prior-year, WardsAuto data shows.

Sales in Class 8 rose a modest 2.0% to 2,610 units. Solid gains by Daimler brands Freightliner (+12.0%) and Western Star (+15.1%) were tempered by losses posted by PACCAR’s Kenworth (-3.2%) and Peterbilt (- 3.0%). Mack recorded the sharpest decline in the segment, plunging 30.7%.

Class 7 sales jumped 20.1% for the month on mixed results. Hino led all gainers, up 167.7% and good for a nearly 20% stake of the market. Peterbilt was up 28.4% and International improved 27.1%. Overall volume was moderated by Kenworth’s decline of 49.2% and an 8.7% drop in Freightliner sales.

Double-digit losses by the three leading brands in Class 6 drove deliveries down 25.2% to 101 units. Hino tumbled 40.6%, followed by Freightliner, down 30.8%, and volume leader International, down 16.4%. Peterbilt was the only brand to post a gain, up 40.0% on small volume.

Class 5 deliveries rose 18.9% to 711 units in April. Hino was the growth leader, up 114.7% while Isuzu also recorded a triple-digit gain of 105.3%. Share-leader Ford rose 26.9%, raising its stake to 42.5%. FCA was the only major player to suffer a loss, slipping 16.1%.

Class 4 was the best-performing segment for the second month in a row as deliveries rose 59.3% on 196 units vs. 123 year-ago. Ford continued to dominate the small-volume segment on sales of 124 units, nearly double the 72 it sold last year. Isuzu domestic models were up 61.3%, while its imported trucks fell 38.5%.

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