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U.S. Class 8 retail sales in May cleared 18,000 and trounced year-earlier levels that had plunged amid the pandemic, WardsAuto.com reported.
Sales were 18,187, an increase of 98.4% compared with 9,165 a year earlier. May posted the third-highest total this year.
Year-to-date sales improved 32.2% to 91,714 compared with 69,379 a year earlier, according to Wards.
A Peterbilt 579. Peterbilt Motors Co. improved a leading 162.1% to 2,933 sales. (Peterbilt Motors Co.)
All truck makers but one, Western Star, notched hefty gains in May.
Paccar Inc.’s two brands saw the biggest sales gains. Peterbilt Motors Co. improved a leading 162.1% to 2,933 sales, while Kenworth Truck Co. improved 128.6% on sales of 2,919.
Freightliner remained the market leader and improved 114.3% to 6,653 compared with 3,104 in the 2020 period.
Western Star sold 447 trucks compared with 504 a year earlier, an 11.3% drop.
Freightliner and Western Star are units of Daimler Trucks North America.
Navistar Inc.’s International brand climbed 90.4 % to 2,277.
Mack Trucks was next, and improved 75.8% to 1,545.
Volvo Trucks North America’s sales rose 30.4% to 1,413.
Mack and VTNA are brands of Volvo Group.
Class 8 sales in May also slipped 6.1% from 19,312 in April.
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