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BMC was the only new entry in this sector this year, but there were some uprates and variations — and the demise of ERF. Colin Barnett reports.
It's been a year of consolidation in the heavy truck sector for rigids !and tractors alike.., which is a polite way of saying there's not much in the way of new products. In this middleweight sector the highlights were the uprated contenders from Renault and Volvo appearing in significant numbers, while Scania chipped in towards the end of the year with a new intermediate take on its modular cab range, the G-Series. Last year we mentioned the parlous state of the ERF brand, so there were no surprises when it was finally killed off mid-year. The municipal sector sees little change beyond the arrival of a keenly priced, low-entry cab from BMC, sold by an extended sales network. The big two, especially in the most competitive three-axle market, remain the Mercedes-Benz Econic and the home-grown Dennis Elite, with Warwick's finest outselling the German at around three to two. A handful of Renault Punchers are testing the water, but there's still no sign of MAN's Dennis-sourced, low-entry cab making it to the UK. Volvo takes more than half the admittedly small municipal 8x4 sector.