The Australian heavy commercial market continued its slide in sales in June with the half year tally showing a 13 per cent slump compared to the first half of 2025.
A total of 19,526 trucks and heavy vans. have been sold so far this year compared with 22,582 registered in the same period last year and continues the downward trend that has been evident since late last year.
June registrations of trucks and heavy vans amounted to 4172 units, a 14.6 per cent fall on the 4888 registered in June last year.
Isuzu was the overall market lead yet again, as it has been for the past 37 years, but even the market leader took a dip in sales, registering 921 trucks across all sectors for June, a drop of 27.3 per cent compared with its 1268 trucks in June last year.
Isuzu captured 22.1 per cent of the overall market, down from the 25.9 per cent it held this time last year, but it was still more than double the market share of besieged rival Hino, which by its own admission has had tough supply issues.
Despite its supply issues Hino’s monthly tally of 455 was only 33 units or 6.5 percent down on its June tally last year and gave the brand a 10.9 per cent market share, which was a much better result that many predicted at the start of the year. It seems a combination of Hino managing the shortfalls by ordering a lot of stock late last year before the new ADRs kicked in and some selling of bottom end 700 series models to cover a lack of top end 500 series trucks seems to have saved Hino from too much pain.
Fuso also weathered a less painful sales drop than some other brands, registering a total of 320 trucks in June to take 7.7 per cent market share, which was actually 0.2 per cent higher share than it did in 2025. Last year in June Fuso registered 365 trucks for 7.7 per cent share.
Kenworth and Volvo were neck and neck for fourth and fifth in the overall market with the Paccar brand registering 249 trucks for six per cent share, while its Swedish rival registered 240 trucks for 5.8 per cent of the market. All but three of Volvo’s tally were heavy duty with the Brisbane based truck maker shifting a small number of medium duty models.
In the remaining top ten of overall sales Iveco was next best with 194 units registered, most of them light duty Daily models, Mercedes-Benz with 143, Scania on 125, UD on 102 and DAF with an outstanding 71 to round out the top ten brands.
As mentioned Kenworth ruled the heavy duty sector with 249 registrations for 18.5 per cent of the segment, 12 units ahead of Volvo with 237 heavies and a 17.6 per cent segment share. Kenworth is almost 200 units ahead of Volvo in the year to date heavy figures, having registered 1262 heavy duty trucks so far this year, compared with 1073 for the Swedish brand.
Isuzu was third in heavy duty in June, and while it has been snapping at Volvo’s heels in recent months, the Japanese maker’s 150 heavy registrations for the month was well behind second place, and only 25 units ahead of the always consistent Scania with 125 heavy duty sales.
Mercedes-Benz had a strong month in heavy duty, pulling up its socks after several lack lustre months to move 100 heavy duty models, taking fifth in the sector. Benz was just four units ahead of sixth placed UD with 96 heavies for the month, while the top ten in the sector was rounded out by Hino on 80, DAF with 70, Fuso with 64 and Mack with 61.
Overall the heavy sector was down about nine per cent on June last year with a total of 1347 trucks sold in the segment compared with 1481 for the same period last year. YTD the sector is off about 10 per cent having moved 6450 heavies so far in 2026, compared with 7143 for the first six months of 2025.
Medium Duty really had a kick in the teeth with its June sales off whopping 38 per cent on the June figure last month. A total of 468 medium duty models were registered last month compared with 764 for the same month last year.
Isuzu topped the charts with 264 medium registrations for a 56.4 per cent share of the sector. However that number was down 84 units on Isuzu 2026 numbers in medium. that represents a 24 per cent share of the sector.
Medium was where Hino felt the most pain in its current predicament, with the brand falling to third in the sector with just 56 registrations for 12 per cent of the sector. Rival and Archin joint venture partner, Fuso, captured 21.4 per cent of the sector to be second with 100 units registered.
Iveco was fourth overall in the medium sector with 12 registrations, only two ahead of the ever improving Hyundai with ten units, just ahead of Mercedes-Benz and MAN with eight each, UD with six, Volvo with three and DAF with just one medium.
The light duty sector was not as badly affected as other sectors with the tiddlers registering 1256 trucks in the month, just 5.7 per cent down on the same month last year when 1332 light duties were registered.
Isuzu topped the sector with 507 light duty registrations, which was 205 units or 28 per cent down on the brands results in the same month last year. YTD Isuzu is down 1117 units or 33.7 per cent, for the first six months, compared with the same time last year.
Hino had a strong result bouncing back with 319 light duty regos for a 25.4 er cent sector share, well behind Isuzu’s 40.4 per cent share. Hino’s June sales numbers were just over double the result from June last year. That represents a 104 per cent increase on the 156 trucks it sold last year.
Fuso had a fall from its June 2025 results, moving 156 trucks this year, compared with 187 in June last year, representing a 16 .5 per cent drop on the same result last year.
Fuso’s situation is a little bit tenuous and uncertain at the moment, with Daimler Trucks Australia preparing to divest itself of the brand, due apparently to anti competition demands as a result of Fuso and Hino now being a part of the Archion joint venture.
Exactly where the Fuso brand will end up and who will be distributing it, is still undetermined, but we understand it is causing some anxiety inside Daimler.
Iveco filled fourth in light duty with its Daily based cab chassis trucks registering 137 units, ahead of Fiat with 44, Mercedes-Benz with 35, LDV with 29, Hyundai with 19.
The top ten was rounded out with Ford on five, Foton Mobiity with two electric light duties, and Volkswagen, Renault and Foton (ICE) each with one unit.
In vans Mercedes-Benz topped the sector with 307 registrations placing it ahead of its Chinese rival LDV with 277 , while Ford with 164 Transits, Renault with 138, Volkswagen with 110 and Fiat with 89 were behind the leading pair, as was Iveco with just 22 Daily van sales.
As we have passed the halfway point, the numbers are supporting a big drop for the total year, unless some sort of miracle occurs and the sales slump turns around.
