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.

The Philippine market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw continued to plunge in the fourth quarter of 2020, by close to 32% to 22,161 units from 32,405 units a year earlier, according to www.AsiaMotorBusiness.com analysis of data sourced from the industry.

Japan’s market for medium and large buses and coaches continued to shrink in the fourth quarter of 2020, by almost 39% to 1,564 units after declining by 20% to 2,550 units in the same period of last year, as demand for public service buses remained depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Japan’s market for light commercial vehicles between 2.0 & 4.5 tons gvw expanded by just over 4% to 57,210 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 from weak year-earlier sales of 54,981 units, resulting in a decline of just over 13% to 267,007 units over the full-year.

Japan’s commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw expanded by 6% to 98,836 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 from weak year-earlier sales of 93,049 units, based on data released the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

The market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw in East Asia’s seven main markets (excluding China) fell by just 2.6% to 385,943 units in the fourth quarter of 2020 after declining by close to 13% to 396,046 units in the same period of 2019, according to data compiled by www.AsiaMotorBusiness.com from numerous industry sources.

‘China’s relaxation of foreign investment restrictions in auto industry (including lowering import tariffs on vehicles) will provide better access for international automakers to the world's biggest car (and commercial vehicle) market and provide a more level playing field for international automakers to compete with Chinese automakers.' - KWM

Volvo Bus Thailand Company of Bangkok is looking to expand sales this year by expanding its customer base beyond the tourist industry with a new focus on coach sales to factories and state agencies for worker transportation contracts, according to a company executive, Kulkarineetham Dechchai, managing director of Volvo Bus Thailand.

The Indonesian market for medium and large buses and coaches virtually collapsed in the fourth quarter of 2020; falling by over 77% to just 242 units from 1,065 units a year earlier, resulting in a decline of more than 52% in full-year sales to 1,950 units.

Since the launch of the Class 2 Utilimaster Velocity F2 walk-in-van (WIV) in October 2020 by The Shyft Group Inc, the company says the model has attracted significant orders from parcel delivery companies.

A new study from the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association shows there are currently 6.2 million medium and heavy commercial vehicles on the EU’s roads, the average age of which is 13 years and that almost 98% of all these trucks run on diesel.