Hino Wins Bigger Share of Expanding Market in First Quarter

Increased consumer confidence and demand in the first quarter of 2013 has seen Hino improve its market share to 16.8 per cent of the truck market, according to official T-MARK figures released by the Truck Industry Council of Australia (TIC).

In the first three months of 2013 Hino sold 999 trucks, up 7.3 per cent (68 units) on the same period last year. This compares to truck industry sales being up 5.9 per cent over this same period - the best first quarter sales result since 2010.

The steady overall market growth was distributed unevenly across the three major segments.

While the light duty segment contracted during the March quarter by 2.6 per cent, the medium duty segment grew 11.5 per cent, nearly double the market rate.

The heavy duty segment also grew a solid 10.3 per cent, continuing the strong performance in this market sector.

The growth in the truck market size of 5.9 per cent was shared evenly at a national level with the metro markets up 5.8 per cent on average. The regional markets grew a comparable 5.9 per cent in total during the quarter.

The updated 500 Series led Hino's sales charge over the first quarter. Hino achieved market leadership in the medium duty segment in March with a share of 34.8 per cent, resulting in a year-to-date share of 31.4 per cent, up an impressive 3.9 per cent compared to the first quarter last year.

Hino Australia Divisional Manager Product Strategy, Marketing and Dealer Development, Alex Stewart, said Hino's customer care programs contributed to its increasing share of the Australian market.

"Hino offers 24-hour-a-day roadside assistance to buyers of our entire range for three years after purchase, and our unlimited-kilometre warranty covers the same period," Mr Stewart said.

"We ensure that Hino customers have us as a safety net, not only to avoid unexpected costs in the future but also to help with lost keys, flat batteries or deflated tyres.

"And by supporting our current customers, word of mouth is spreading about the positive Hino ownership experience and that's helped us increase our share of the market."

Mr Stewart said the FC and FD 500 Series models were a particular standout for Hino.

"The introduction of the ProShift 6 automated manual transmission to the FC and FD 500 Series models and the launch of a new automatic four-wheel drive GT model should see this trend continue in the months ahead."