The truck market in 2007 developed very dynamically. The growth was driven by a favorable economic climate and, above all, the continued development of the construction industry. However, growth trends were hampered by discrepancies between the supply and demand for trucks, mainly those over 15 tonnes GVW, a strong zloty, and the persistent shortage of qualified drivers.
In 2007, entrepreneurs purchased 22,635 trucks over 6 tonnes GVW, which is a significant increase compared to 2006, which closed with a figure of 14,709 units. The highest demand was recorded for the heaviest vehicles, i.e., those over 15 tonnes GVW, of which 19,565 units were sold, while 3,070 units were sold in the 6-15 tonne range. Among the heaviest vehicles, tractor units were the most popular, with 14,474 units sold. As in 2006, the MAN group sold the most, achieving a 19.2% market share. DAF took second place with a 17.3% market share. Third place went to Volvo with 15%. The demand for trucks remains high, which bodes well for 2008. This is especially true given that we are still seeing an upward trend in leasing agreements, and it should be remembered that this form of acquiring transport assets accounts for approximately 90%. A certain problem today is the lack of service facilities, which have not increased in line with the number of vehicles sold, and if the trend continues, manufacturers will have to meet the increased demand for service support in the near future.
The year 2007 was also a record-breaking one in terms of sales of delivery vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes GVW. The year closed with the sale of 53,500 vehicles, which was 35% more than in 2006, which was also a record year. Fiat traditionally holds the top spot in terms of the number of vehicles sold, managing to sell 10,482 vehicles and achieving a 19.6% market share. It is worth noting that this result is 30% higher than a year ago. French manufacturer Renault took second place with a 13% market share. Third place went to Volkswagen with a 12.5% share of total “delivery vehicle” sales in Poland.
The best-selling delivery vehicle on the Polish market in 2007 was the Fiat Ducato, with 3,678 units sold. Ford Transit came in second with 3,124 units. Third place went to the Renault Master, with 3,049 units sold. Subsequent places were taken by models such as: Volkswagen Caddy, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Transporter, Fiat Panda Van, Mercedes Sprinter, Citroen Jumper, Peugeot Boxer, Fiat Doblo, Renault Traffic, Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, Toyota Hilux, Iveco Daily, Fiat Seicento Van, Renault Kangoo Express, Mitsubishi L200, and Mercedes Vito, which closes the top twenty.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2/2008.