Sales of medium and heavy-duty trucks over 5 tons gvw fell by almost 10% to 7,696 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 from an already weak 8,525 units in the same period of the previous year, resulting in a drop of over 16% in full-year sales to 19,292 units from 23,080 units.

Sales of pickup trucks increased by over 9% to 7,317 units in the fourth quarter of 2020, after plunging by over 25% to 6,702 units in the same period of the previous year, resulting in a 13.5% decline in full-year sales to 19,697 units from 22,767 sales in 2019.

Sales of medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles over 6 tons gvw are estimated to have declined by over 23% to 19,589 units in 2020 from 25,575 units in the previous year, reflecting declining investment, trade and domestic consumption over the full year.

Sales of rigid trucks over 2 tons gvw, excluding pickup trucks, increased by over 20% to 4,195 in the fourth quarter of 2020 after declining by almost 24% to 3,493 units in the same period of the previous year.

The Malaysian market for light vans and minibuses fell by almost 19% to 1,192 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 from already weak-year earlier sales of 1,369 units, resulting in a fall of almost 45% to 3,093 units over the full year from 5,586 units in 2019.

Sales of pickup trucks rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter of 2020, by over 37% to 13,145 units from 9,580 units in the same period of the previous year, wiping out most of the earlier declines and resulting in a fall in full-year sales of just 3.7% to 33,034 units.

Sales of pickup trucks declined by almost 17% to 13,227 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 15,847 units in the same period of the previous year, resulting in full-year sales falling by more than 41% to 40,187 units from strong year-earlier sales of 68,355 units.

Japan’s medium and heavy truck market over 4.5 tons gvw increased by almost 13% to 40,062 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 after declining by almost 20% to 35,518 units a year earlier, reflecting a sharp rebound in fixed investment and exports.

Scania has purchased a truck manufacturing plant in China's Jiangsu province to serve as a regional production centre for heavy commercial vehicles.

Toyota Motor Corporation of Toyota, Japan has agreed with three major convenience store operators in Japan to begin trials of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell delivery trucks later this year.

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, headquartered in Kawasaki City in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, which is majority-owned by Daimler AG of Stuttgart, Germany and operates under the brand name Fuso, launched the new Canter in the United Arab Emirates in December.

Isuzu Motors Ltd, headquartered in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district and Kyokuto Kaihatsu Kogyo Company, based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo prefecture, have developed a new rear-body monitoring system for heavy trucks using connected technologies.