Preliminary net orders of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles for North American markets in December increased 115 percent over a year earlier to 25,500 units, according to ACT Research Co.
Preliminary net order numbers are subject to revision and are typically accurate to within 5 percent plus or minus.
“The industry closed 2010 with a string of three strong months of net orders. With nearly 71,000 orders booked, the fourth quarter was the best quarter for Class 8 vehicles since the second quarter of 2006,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst. “The ramp up in demand is consistent with the up cycle we have been forecasting for over a year and confirms production levels will increase significantly in 2011.”
