Truck Market Outlook in South Africa – 2011 and 2012

South Africa is one of the countries where Japanese trucks are very popular and in high demand.  About 25,700 trucks are expected to sell in the South African truck market by the end of the  year 2011, compared to 22,021 units sold last year.  The sales could have been far better; however some Japanese car part manufacturing companies were greatly affected by the earthquake and tsunami causing supply disruptions which greatly affected the truck manufacturing business.  UD Trucks also skipped a few days of production due to supply shortages, however, they soon resumed the production and are back in the market.

UD Trucks in South African Truck Market

In the 2012, UD Trucks is predicting sales close to 29,000 units in South African market, if the debt issue in the US does not become a major problem and if the negative impacts from the European financial debt crisis stay minimal.  Another possible hindrance is the exchange rate.  It is more so because the strengthening the yen and weakening the rand might raise truck prices even more in the coming year.

UD Trucks in South Africa expects to finish the year 2011 at 3,600 units, upward from 3,200 units in the year 2010 – thus capturing a market share of about 12.5%. The coming year will also witness UDTSA launch many new vehicles.  UD Trucks hopes to achieve sales of 4 200 units in South Africa in 2012.

UD Trucks in South Africa is also planning to launch a replacement for extra-heavy Quon range vehicles. This Quon range of vehicles was launched in the year 2008. UD Trucks is also planning to introduce UD brand oil that is targeted particularly at the motor vehicles within the manufacturer’s stable in the South African market.  This is evident as they have already unveiled the product launches they have been planning for the coming year.  Their product launches also include launch of a new value truck range, specifically meant for the African market.  These will position in between the low cost range of vehicles and premium segment vehicles. The size of the combined African markets which UDTSA are aiming at is roughly 31,000 units in a single year. (more…)

Shortage of auto parts after the earthquake and tsunami

The devastating earthquake and the ferocious tsunami have really hit Japan hard.  The Japanese industry in general incurred huge losses. The Japanese automobile industry has been hit like never before with many of the car factories damaged severely.  The backlog of orders grew manifold because all the major car and truck makers had to cut their production by half.  With the peak selling season going on, the major Japanese automobile brands are still facing shortage of car and truck parts and accessories.

The new Honda Civic, Toyota Prius hybrid, and 4Runner SUV which were supposed to dominate the peak selling season are nowhere to be found.  Recently, Toyota and Honda informed their dealers that full production at all their manufacturing plants would start in September.  This is a good two months ahead of the original schedule.  This news has been welcomed by all the dealers.  Industry sources estimate that large car makers like Infiniti, Nissan, Honda, Lexus and Toyota have lost a whopping 200,000 car sales in the United States, since the earthquake struck in March.  The financial loss is estimated at $6 billion.

Japanese car manufacturers have devised an aggressive sales strategy in order to cover the huge losses incurred.  Attractive incentives are also being offered to boost the sales campaign.  Japanese automakers fear that they may not be able to reclaim the lost share.  This is mainly because the consumers have a wide range of options available while buying a car.  The once famous brand loyalty by the consumers has greatly reduced and the consumer tastes also varies from time to time.

For the next two months, the prices of Japanese branded cars are expected to be high and the supplies are likely to be very tight.  The prices of used cars are also at an all time high making it very difficult for the consumer to choose.  With very few new branded cars hitting the market, the demand for used cars is going to increase and the prices of used cars are definitely going to stay high.  Even the availability of used cars and trucks is at an all time low.

Many dealers feel that the situation could get worse, if the new cars become fewer.  This would prompt the Japanese car brand dealers to sell only expensive used cars and service work to compensate for their losses due to a dip in new car sales.

The dealers may not receive their optimum allocation of cars until November, even if the production begins in September.  The dealers are optimistic that Toyota and Honda would aggressively launch their sales campaign to make up for lost sales by offering plenty of incentives and deals.  The sales in the fourth quarter are expected to be much stronger along with the incentives offered.  The high price of used cars is also expected to drive the consumers to buy new cars.

Toyota is a little more optimistic and upbeat about its recovery than Nissan or Honda.  By next month, Toyota expects its North American Production to reach eighty percent of its original capacity.  The month of August is expected to be tough. But, both the car makers and dealers are optimistic that sales would definitely start improving from the fourth quarter.

UD Trucks, formerly known as Nissan Diesel Motor Co. announced the launch of newly designed heavy duty truck ‘Quon’ to meet the revised emission standards of Japan, which would come into effect from April 2010.   The newQuon heavy duty  truck has been redesigned to improve driving performance in addition to the environmental performance to cater to the strong demands for high performance and fuel economy.

The new Quon features a newly developed 11 liter engine with superior combustion efficiency, improved gear ratio range, electronically controlled transmission leads to improved fuel efficiency and mileage, to meet the demanding customer requirements.  The new engine has been developed in collaboration with the Swedish parent group Volvo group of companies.  The new engine would comply with US and European emission standards, apart from the JP09 emission standard of Japan.  This new engine incorporates SCR technology with high pressure fuel injection system that leads to calalytic reduction of NOx and PM.  In addition, this technology has revolutionized the safety and security conflicts with a focus on improving brake performance.

The new GH11 Engine developed by UD Trucks is a lightweight 11 liter, VGT (Variable geometry turbcharger) engine available in 3 power ratings of 350 hp, 380 hp and 410 hp.  A more powerful version of the new engine is  GH13, 13 liter engine that is available in 450 hp and 480 hp power ratings.

The new Quon truck features improved 12-stage transmission system with a wide range of gear ratio that enables to reduce the engine speed during high-speed cruising of the trucks.  The new truck also has features to advise the driver to improve fuel economy through both audio and video messages while driving.  ‘Traffic eye break’ is another new feature in the new Quon which will sense the distance and relative speed of the vehicles ahead of you through precision radar technology, determine the risk of frontal collision and give warnings to the driver to apply brakes.  If the driver does not act, and if a collision is sensed by the computer controlled system, brakes would be automatically applied to reduce the speed and damage that may be caused in a frontal collision.  It also features electronically controlled brake system (EBS), with improved brake feel and shorter stopping distances.

The new Quon series Trucks from UD are priced from 17,192,700 yen, and would be available from April 2010.

Technorati Tags: UD Trucks, Nissan Diesel, heavy duty  truck

Ultimate Dependability – is the focus and mission to deliver of Nissan where the UD Automatic Trucks are concerned.  And it is not surprising that owners of the Nissan UD Automatic Trucks sing its praises.  The ‘UD’ trademark of Nissan Diesel initially stood for ‘Uniflow Diesel‘, and was derived from the triumphant Uniflow Scavenging Diesel engine.  It later evolved into being called thus, to signify Ultimate Dependability.

The Nissan UD Trucks have been leading in the market of ’sensitive’ trucks and are renowned for their ability in guaranteeing smooth and efficient operations in delivering freight of the most delicate and sensitive nature, be it electronic equipment or any fragile cargo.

The air-bag suspensions in the UD Trucks along with the optional automatic transmissions are an attractive combination ensuring smooth deliveries across the country on the most difficult and arduous roads and with a comfortable ride for the drivers as well due to the automatic transmission technology used.

Thanks to UD Automatic Trucks, medical equipment like UPS devices, x-ray machines, dental and ultrasound equipment that have highly sensitive parts can now be transported smoothly and efficiently.

The UD Automatic Trucks have proven to be not only fuel efficient but also highly reliable and are available at very competitive prices to attract potential buyers who depend on making transporting sensitive cargo.

The after sales service team of Nissan has also proved itself to be pro- and inter-active in taking customer calls and having the trucks fixed very swiftly.  Nissan’s UD Trucks come fitted with hydraulic operated tailgate lifters to help load sensitive cargo smoothly and efficiently without sustaining any damage.

The Automatic UD Trucks are kitted out with high tracking technology apparatus to follow the daily progress of each truck along with proof of delivery using PDAs, thus guaranteeing prompt and efficient deliveries.

All the medium-duty engines provide heightened performance due to the inclusion of inter-cooling equipment in the UD Trucks.  Since model year 2008, UD Trucks have been using the ‘diesel particulate reduction’ equipment, which, in tandem with regeneration technology of engine controlled oxidation of the particulate substance totally eradicates the necessity to service or change the diesel particulate filter.

Driving a Nissan UD Truck has proved to be not only a matter of convenience but also tremendously economical, as it is easier to drive the automatic and reduces the operating times phenomenally.

Nissan UD Trucks have earned their pride of place in upholding their reputation for quality, durability and dependability.  If you are interested in importing new or used UD  trucks from Japan, please get in touch with us, and we can find a suitable truck matching your budget and requirements.

Technorati Tags: Nissan UD, Automatic Trucks, Nissan UD Trucks, used UD  trucks from Japan