Forecasting the 2010 SA truck market is a very tough call, according to the newly-appointed vice president of Hino, Casper Kruger. He says that the conservative approach sees growth of 4-5% over the 2009 figure, which equates to about 19 600 units for 2010.

However, he says unexpected strong demand, driven by transport requirements for World Cup-related activities, could skew this figure substantially and result in growth as high as 20%. Kruger added that the quandary for manufacturers of distributors was whether or not to order extra stock in the hope of a possible upswing in the first and second quarters of the year, but believed meaningful, long-term growth in the local truck market would occur only from 2013.

“So, although we see 2010 as a year of consolidation there will still be plenty of activity in the truck market” concluded Casper Kruger