If the back end of 2022 wasn’t good enough, the Australian bus and coach industry took deliveries to another level in the first month of 2023.
Following an excellent return to en masse deliveries in 2022, bus and coach OEMs didn’t experience any post New Year delays when it came to supplying new vehicles.
For January, the industry opened with an impressive 105 deliveries, eclipsing December’s effort of 91 units delivered.
When it came to chassis, a different company seized pole position to start 2023. Yutong were far and away the leader in January, recording an impressive 32 deliveries to nearly double the second placed and perennial frontrunner in Volvo (17). Bus & Coach International (BCI) was close behind on 16, while Scania dropped down to fourth with 13 deliveries after taking out December’s honours. Mercedes-Benz (eight) remained consistent to start the new year, while King Long and BLK (five units) couldn’t be split. BusTech Group started 2023 with three deliveries, while BYD and I-Bus (two deliveries each) narrowly beat MAN and Challenger (one apiece) to round out the chassis deliveries for January.
Yutong continued its chassis dominance when it came to the bodybuilder market, as it echoed the 32 deliveries for January. BCI continued to impress in January, as its hot start to the year gave it second place with 21 units. Perennial body champion Volgren was relegated to third place in January with 14 deliveries, just ahead of Irizar (10). Both King Long and BLK (five) remained tied, while Scania (four) and BusTech Group (three) beat out Coach Design, I-Bus and Express Coaches, who each recorded two deliveries. The final five deliveries for January were split between five different brands in an even market.
In the evolving seating sector, Yutong’s deliveries helped it narrowly edge out its competitors. The Yutong clean sweep continued as it recorded the 32 seat deliveries, while Sege was mightily impressive but fell one short with 31 units. McConnell (24) remained close behind the pair, with the podium well ahead of next best StyleRide with nine deliveries. King Long (five) remained ahead of APM (two), while Marcopolo and Fainsa both recorded the single delivery for January.
Yutong’s dominance extended into the air-conditioning market through its Cling-Yutong brand, as its 32 deliveries proved too much for Thermo King (21). MCC rounded out the top three with 16 units for January in a remarkable jump from the single unit it delivered in December, while Hispacold was nestled into fourth with 10 deliveries. Valeo tripled its December output with six units delivered, while King Long wasn’t far behind with five deliveries. Collectively, Coachair, Denso and Konvekta all couldn’t be split with four deliveries each, while Songz (two) and Spheros (one) rounded out the sector.
Finally as we look to the state-based competition, Victoria’s dominance ended at the hands of Queensland. The northern state delivered the most buses and coaches with 28 for January, while New South Wales fell just short with 25 of its own. Victoria was pushed down all the way to third with 21 deliveries after previously recording 38 units in December. Western Australia started 2023 off strong with 16 deliveries, while the final 15 deliveries were split between emerging areas in South Australia (seven), the ACT (six) and Tasmania (two).
Click here for comprehensive bus and coach delivery information for January. Please note all data is as supplied from manufacturers, at their discretion.