The market for bus and coach chassis slumped badly in 2020 to register 13,931 units, a 33.4% reduction in sales on 2019 registrations of 20,932 vehicles, one unit more than 7,000 vehicles fewer.

In 2020, the Uruguayan market registered 1,748 new trucks, 12.4% more than the 1,555 units sold in 2019 and only 224 buses, 38.5% fewer than the 364 units sold in the previous year.

The Peruvian market reached sales of 12,909 heavy commercial vehicles, a decrease of 22.5% compared with 2019, when it registered 16,650 vehicles, according to AAP.

Argentina in 2020 registered 10,562 heavy commercial vehicles (trucks and buses), a 9.9% decrease compared with the 11,725 units sold in 2019, according to data released by Acara.

According to data released by Fabus, Brazilian production of bus and coach bodies decreased by 26.7% in 2020 compared with the previous year; 16,715 units were manufactured against 22,806 in the same period last year.

Overall, total sales of truck bodies and semi-trailers finished the year up 0.8% over the previous year, by registering 121,891 units against 120,962 units, according to Anfir.

In its centenary year in Brazil, Ford Brasil Ltda surprised the market in February by announcing it is to close its factory in São Bernardo do Campo where it produces the Ford F-Series F-350 and F-4000 truck models and Ford Cargo truck, as well as the Ford Fiesta car, whose production will cease as soon as inventories run out.

Steel wheel and steel components producer, Iochpe-Maxion SA, is consolidating its North American steel wheels manufacturing operations from three plants to two.

Following the formation of Marcopolo Next, a new division of bus and coach body builder, Marcopolo SA, set up at the start of the year to work start-up companies to develop new technologies, the company says its focus has been on developing biosafety solutions to make public transport safer from viral contamination.

Daimler Buses, a division of Daimler Trucks AG, as part of its previously announced strategic goal of expanding sales in South East Asia, has appointed local automobile manufacturer and dealer, Truong Hai Auto Corporation as its general distributor for Daimler Buses in Vietnam.

The BRA14m (USD2.8m) deal, which was first announced last November, was finalised in February this year.

Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda has agreed with Robert Bosch GmbH to build jointly a state-of-the-art Vehicle Test Centre for commercial vehicles in Brazil.