The top eight* South American markets for commercial vehicles (3.5t gvw and above) finished in 2021 with a total of 254,200 units registered, an increase of 42.2% over 178,800 vehicles registered in 2020.

The share of the market held by battery-electric and plug-in electric vehicles in 2021 across the LCV, truck, and bus segments was 3%, 0.5%, and 10.6% respectively.

According to IHS Markit, Volvo Trucks achieved a 42% share of the electric truck market in Europe, with 145 vehicles under the Volvo brand having been registered in 2021.

The UK subsidiary of the Italian commercial vehicle manufacturer gave an update on the performance of the S-Way and Daily, while the SMMT discussed the effects of component shortages on vehicle production.

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw fell by almost 15% to 84,410 units in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 98,836 units a year earlier, based on data released the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). 

The Thai commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw declined by a further by 12% to 113,953 in the fourth quarter of 2021 from an already weak 129,470 units in the same period of the previous year, according to data and some estimates from industry sources compiled by www.AsiaMotorBusiness.com. 

Sales of pickup trucks, excluding passenger vehicle derivatives, declined by over 14% to 100,846 units in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 117,481 units a year earlier, resulting in full-year sales falling by 6.5% to 341,343 units from 364,883 units in 2020. The performance of segment was affected by sluggish domestic economic activity, which was affected by covid outbreaks particularly in the second half of the year.

Sales of domestic light commercial vehicles between 2-5 tons gvw dropped by 15% to 41,415 units in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 48,711 units a year earlier, with deliveries affected by supply-chain shortages. Full-year sales were down by 3.7% at 187,487 units from 194,791 units in 2020. 

Japan’s market for light commercial vehicles (between 2.0-4.5 tons gvw) fell by over 13% to 49,514 units in the fourth quarter of 2021, with sales affected by the covid resurgence in the second half of the year and by the resulting global shortages of semi-conductors. Full-year sales were just slightly lower at 230,968 units after a 13% decline to 267,007 units in the previous year.  

The Indonesian market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw continued to recover strongly in the fourth quarter of 2021, with sales rising more than 60% to 47,210 units from a depressed 29,423 units a year earlier, based on AsiaMotorBusiness.com analysis of industry data. 

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2-tons gross vehicle weight (GVW) in East Asia’s seven main markets, excluding China, continued to decline in the fourth quarter of 2021, by almost 3% to 368,495 units after falling by 10% to 378,493 units in the third quarter, according to data compiled by www.AsiaMotorBusiness.com from numerous industry sources. 

Vietnam’s commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw resumed its recovery in the fourth quarter of 2021, with sales rising by 9% to 23,144 units from a reasonably strong 21,201 units in the same period of the previous year, according to AsiaMotorBusiness.com analysis of data from the Vietnam Automotive Manufacturers Association (VAMA).