News: Commercial Vehicles

2024-09-23

Malaysia H1 2024 Car Sales Gain Ground

MALAYSIA REPORT  
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

New vehicle sales in the six major Southeast Asian countries in the first six months of 2024 fell 9% year-on-year to about 1.49 million units, the lowest level since 2021, when they were battered by COVID-19. Malaysia, which has benefited from strong domestic demand, is closing in on Indonesia, the largest market in the region.

Malaysia grew by 7% to 390,296 units. Sales growth was driven by strong domestic demand linked to economic growth. Sales of domestically produced small cars such as the Proton and Produa were particularly strong. In contrast, sales in Indonesia, the region’s largest market, fell 19% to 408,012 units due to a decline in the use of car loans and other factors caused by high policy interest rates. Thailand was down 24% to 308,027 units; Vietnam was down 2% to 134,884 units and the Philippines was up 10% to 227,225 units.

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Thoughts About FCVs and Hydrogen Stations

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

I traveled recently in the Toyosu area of Tokyo, an upscale residential area, and while there I stopped at a Hydrogen refueling station. While there, I spoke with one of the station’s staff, and I found his comments interesting.

He told me that the only FCVs on the market in Japan are the Toyota MIRAI sedan and Crown FCEV. Honda used to sell the Clarity FCV, but it has been discontinued and few are seen on the road. There are also no FCVs in trucks. There are about 80 hydrogen buses in Tokyo, but they don’t stop at this station because there is a hydrogen station is in the bus company’s office.

On weekends, maybe four or five cars come to the station each day, but on weekdays there are often days when not even one car comes. It’s very quiet. Filling up with hydrogen requires a person with a national qualification, so it’s not possible to operate it like a self-service gas station.

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Deutz and Rolls Royce Engine Deal Approved

EUROPE REPORT 
Emiliano Marzoli
Emiliano Marzoli

DEUTZ and Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division have completed the transaction for DEUTZ to take over the sales and service activities for various Daimler Truck industrial engines. The transaction relates specifically to engines with displacements from 5 to 16 litres and power output of up to 480 kW.

Under the completed transaction, DEUTZ will take over distribution of the MTU Classic model series and the MTU 1000 to 1500 engine series, which are based on three Daimler Truck engine platforms. These engines are used in a range of off-highway applications, mainly in the agricultural machinery and construction equipment sectors.

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Marcopolo Volare Unveils Hybrid Ethanol 1.0 Micro Bus

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT 
Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

During Latbus 2024 in São Paulo, Volare unveiled its Attack 9 HVE, Brazil’s pioneering ethanol hybrid minibus. The project is being developed by Volare, a division of the Marcopolo group, in collaboration with Horse and WEG. Although presented in 2024, the official market release is scheduled for 2026.

The vehicle is powered by a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder ethanol engine supplied by Horse, which also functions as an electric generator. This generator supplies energy to recharge the batteries of WEG’s electric drive system. The internal combustion engine operates for only one-third of the vehicle’s total operational time, maintaining an optimal rotational speed of approximately 3,000 rpm.

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2024-08-24

Alternative Power Report, August 2024

Alternative Power Report – Aug 2024Download

The August issue of PSR’s Alternative Power Report includes several articles on battery development, including ones describing news at Tesla. This month’s report also includes news on hydrogen power and the decline in diesel sales. PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

2024-07-15

2024 MHCV Production Expected To Decline by 1.6%

GLOBAL REPORT
Chris Fisher
Chris Fisher

In 2024, medium and heavy commercial vehicle production in Europe, South Asia and North America is expected to decline modestly while production in China, South America, Japan and Korea is expected to improve over last year.   

Globally, medium and heavy commercial vehicle production is expected to decline by 1.6% this year over 2023.  Moving into 2024, much of the focus on demand is centered around slowing global economic conditions that will likely impact overall freight demand. 

North America. Medium and heavy commercial vehicle production is expected to decline by 4.3% this year over 2023 after strong class 8 truck production last year was driven by on-going pent-up demand.  While class 8 demand is expected to decline this year, it will still be at a relatively high level, especially during the first part of the year. 

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Brazil Truck Production Grows Significantly

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT 

Brazil truck production reached almost 64,40 units in the first half of this year, an increase of 36.5% over the same period in 2023

In June, 12,200 trucks were manufactured, a 74.1% increase compared to the same period last year.

Heavy truck sales also grew. In the first six months of this year, 56,800 trucks were sold, an increase of 8%. Last month, 10,000 trucks were sold, a 26.6% increase compared to June 2023.

Source: Automotive Business    Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The production growth was expected due to the pre-production effect with P8 introduction in 2023. The good news is the 26% sales increase in June compared to the same period in 2023, which reinforces the confidence in the Truck Market in the region. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research