Capital Equipment News September 2019

MEDIUM COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Gaining considerable ground

Armed with a simple, well-priced and rugged product that is complemented by good aftersales support regimes, "value" truck makers are slowly, but surely, gaining considerable ground in the medium commercial vehicle market in South Africa. A case in point is Powerstar with its FT range, which strikes a healthy balance between quality, price and effective backup support, writes Munesu Shoko .

T he medium commercial vehicle segment is a tightly contested market in South Africa. Japanese manufacturers are traditionally known to be the leaders in this market segment, with many years of dominance. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have started to challenge for a share of the market with a product that has continuously evolved over the years. Improved build quality and better aftermarket footprints are some of the key pillars of growth. The simple, rugged product directly speaks to the needs of the “value” driven customer seeking reliability at a lower price point. Last year, Powerstar, supplied locally by Ever Star Industries (ESI), became the latest Chinese original equipment manufacturer to enter the fiercely contested South African medium commercial vehicle segment following its joint venture with Foton. The venture allowed ESI to offer vehicles in the 4 t, 5 t, 7 t and 8 t segment for the very first time.

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