Sales of trucks and commercial vehicles double – Growth above expectations

(Photo: Rasica/shutterstock.com)

According to the data of the Association of Leasing Companies in Serbia, the value of the new financial leasing contracts in the first quarter of 2016 in this segment was EUR 24 million, which is double the amount relative to the same period last year.

- The growth trend in this segment was noted in 2015 as well. More precisely, at the end of last year, the value of the financing of the procurement of commercial, goods and other vehicles by leasing was EUR 106.5 million, which is EUR 9.3 million more relative to 2014. We expect this trend to continue in the coming period as well and that it will follow the growth of economic activity in the country – says Teodora Milenkovic, secretary general of the Association of Leasing Companies in Serbia for eKapija.

The company Volvo says that the results made so far are above expectations, that is, their plan, and the prospects for the rest of 2016 are optimistic.

- In 2016 there has been a significant growth in the construction segment, the kind of which hasn’t been seen since the 2008 crisis. The sales of heavy goods vehicles have increased and have kept on growing year by year by an average annual rate of around 20-25%. To clarify, the last large procurement of goods vehicles happened before the economic crisis, in 2007 and 2008, and now the mileage of those vehicles is high, which is why they need to be replaced – says Vladimir Vukovic, sales manager at Volvo Novi Banovci and adds that the company is offering to its clients to acquire new vehicles by trading old vehicle for new ones, with the caveat that the vehicle traded must be under 10 years old and the possibility of Volvo’s factory financing.

Of the total number of Ford vehicles sold last year, 5% were commercial vehicles, and this year the percentage will be 7% relative to the total sales.

- We are able to offer an entire array of Ford vehicles free of VAT. We offer numerous upgrades and conversions for our vehicles: car-carrier trailers, aluminum cargo beds, aluminum cargo beds with canopy tops and covers, aluminum boxes, insulation for temperature regimes of +4 or -18 degrees Celsius, ambulance conversion, hearse conversion, scamp conversion, conversion of disability vehicles. Our “Ranger” still makes us the only company to get a five-star rating at the Euro Ncap test – says Minja Bolesnikov, director of the Ford brand in Serbia for eKapija.

In 2016, shipments of Krone trailers and semi-trailers for local transporters have multiplied.

- The most popular are the semi-reefer trailers DuoPlex Steel-KRONE Cool Liner and various types of the Mega Liner semi-trailer, with the accent on the Tire transport model with appropriate equipment and certificates for the safe transport of pneumatic tires. In 2016, buyers in Serbia also showed a great interest in semi-trailers for 20-40 foot container transport KRONE Box Liner – says Marija Otasevic of the company Sejari for our portal.

As Otasevic says, among the most important buyers in Serbia who have put their trust in the German giant and authorized importer Sejari d.o.o. in 2016 are, among others, companies Marjanovic-Trans, Mreznica Export, Krstaco, Botunjac Frio, Bata, Gruza Transport, Euroschild, Erotrade, Coning, Tehnix Beo, Top Express and others.

It is of great significance for Sejari that, in this business year, it has cooperated with local upgrades manufacturer, the company Uniplast Srbija, with which a significant number of shipments have been made of high-tonnage, low-floor tandem trailers, which combine Krone trailers with Uniplast upgrades of various types.

- We are proud to point out our shipments of tandem trailers to Delta Transport Systems (DTS) and Mercator, says Otasevic and adds that Sejari expects the continuation of the growth in sales until the end of the year.