Class 6-8 truck sales end 2001 in a skid
Jan 1, 2002 12:00 PM
Sales for Class 6-8 trucks ended 2001 by continuing to slide, though end-of-the-year sales gains for Class 1-4 vehicles offset losses for all classes somewhat. These figures were compiled by Ward's Communications.
Class 6 vehicle sales in December 2001 totaled 2,594 compared with 2,885 in the same month of 2000, a 10.1% decline. A total of 5,717 sales was registered in December 2001 for Class 7 vehicles, down 21.2% from December 2000's 7,258. For Class 8 vehicles, December 2001 saw 11,398 purchased as opposed to 14,794 in the comparable month of 2000 — a 23% drop.
For the entire year of 2001, a total of 42,434 Class 6 sales were tallied, a 17.1% downturn compared with 51,209 in 2000. Class 7 vehicles sales reached 91,651 in 2001, off 25.3% from 2000's 122,614. Class 8 vehicle sales totaled 139,614 compared with 211,507 the year before — a 34% plummet.
Strong sales achieved for Class 1-4 vehicles in December 2001 were enough to cinch a 14.5% upsurge for Class 1-8 sales for that month, though Class 1-8 sales for the entire year sunk 0.6%.
