Preliminary North American Classes 5-7 net orders in April fell to 7,600 units, down 69% compared to year-ago April and 50% below the March order intake, ACT Research said.
Complete industry data for April, including final order numbers, will be published in mid-May.
Additionally, ACT created the COVID-19 MARKET WATCH webpage to track noteworthy high-frequency macroeconomic and transportation-specific market indicators.
ACT’s State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles report provides a monthly look at the current production, sales and general state of the on-road heavy- and medium-duty commercial vehicle markets in North America. It differentiates market indicators by Class 5, Classes 6-7 chassis and Class 8 trucks and tractors, detailing activity-related measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders and retail sales. Additionally, Class 5 and Classes 6-7 are segmented by trucks, buses, RVs, and step van configurations.
“Owing to its broader base of applications and vocational niches, medium-duty demand held up relatively well on an absolute basis in April when compared to their bigger (Class 8) brethren,” said Steve Tam, ACT’s vice president. “That said, medium-duty net orders continued to slide during the month, falling to their lowest since April 2010.
“The month of April is modestly stronger than average, so seasonal adjustment pulled orders lower.”
ACT’s 63rd seminar is scheduled for Aug 11-13. Focused on the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will feature dealer, alternative power and economic panels, as well as discussions on near-term demand of North American commercial vehicle markets and the pending impact of alternative power on the market in the near future. Both in-person and livestream options are available for those who wish to participate.
Visit actresearch.net for more information.