The seven major markets of East Asia (excluding China) has grown by 125,000 commercial vehicles in the last two years.

Economic growth in China slowed sharply last year to 3%, missing the government’s 5.5% target as tough lockdowns were implemented in major cities across the country for extended periods to control the Covid pandemic.

CME reported total bus and coach registrations in EU27+4 of 25,658 units in 2022, a decrease of 5.9% from 27,277 units in 2021 and a 22.2% fall from the record year in 2019 of almost 33,000 (Note: Figures for 2020 are not provided by CME).

CME’s figures indicate that after seven straight years of growth of city buses powered with alternative drivelines, deliveries in 2022 within the EU27+4 countries fell marginally in volume terms to 9,543 units, down from 9,813 in 2021.

Sales of medium and heavy rigid trucks (7.5t gvw and above) in India increased by 46.3% in the period for April to December of 2022-23 to 181,934 units from 124,367 units in same period of the year 2021-22.

Domestic sales of buses and coaches (7.5t gvw and above) increased by 130.5% in Q3 (October to December) of the financial year 2022-23 (Q3/FY22-23) to register 8,331 units, up from 3,615 units in Q3 of FY 2021-22.

The heavy haulage tractor sector saw sales more than double during April to December of 2022-23 to register 35,334 units compared with 15,794 units in the same period of the previous year (2021-22).

Tractor production increased by 101.1% overall from 6,822 units to 13,717 units, but export sales declined by 50%.

Sales of buses and coaches (7.5t & above) in the first nine months of fiscal year 2022-23 (April to December) rallied gaining 267.7% to register 23,689 units compared with just 6,442 units in the three-quarter year period of FY2021-22.

Sales of light duty buses (7.5t & below) more than doubled by 129.1% to register 8,093 units in Q3 of FY 2022-23, up from 3,532 units in Q3 of FY2021-22.

Sales of light-duty bus sales (7.5t & below) rose by 132.6% to 30,278 units in the threequarter fiscal year (April to December) of 2022-23 from 13,015 units in the same period of 2021.

Sales of LCV goods carrier (truck) vehicles (gvw ≤ 7.5t) increased by 34.1% to 412,019 units in the first three quarters (April-December) of 2022-23 from 307,142 units in same period of 2021-22.