Auto-truck buying trend picks up pace

Isuzu has revealed that its trucks are now selling in larger numbers with automatic transmission than with manual shift.

It's a reflection of the growing migration to self-shifting transmissions that has long been a hallmark of buyer preference in passenger cars, SUVs and light commercials, the company asserts.

VFACTS sales figures supplied by the FCAI support Isuzu's observations, with just 13 per cent of passenger cars in 2014 sold with a manual transmission. That is a significant decline from 2000, when manual vehicles still comprised 33 per cent of the passenger car market.

Australia has headed down the same path taken by American consumers, but is still some way behind. In the USA during 2012, manual transmission preference accounted for just seven per cent of new-car sales. By August the following year (2013) that figure had dropped to as low as 3.9 per cent.

In 2014, only 17 per cent of new drivers in Victoria sat their test in a manual car, and automatic transmissions are beginning to show up in even the least likely of cars.

For the most part, the rise in automatic truck sales in Australia is driven by fleets, says Phil Taylor, Isuzu Australia's CEO.

"We're seeing a lot of businesses, especially those operating in urban PUD [pick up and delivery] applications, making the switch to two-pedal trucks because of the much broader employment pool it offers," Taylor was quoted saying in a press release.

"Automatics and Automated Manual Transmissions [AMTs] require less training than a manual, which immediately creates more options in staffing and a reduction in training costs.

"We've responded to the need for a more 'car-like' feel and ease of operation through our product ranges like the Isuzu ready-to-work line-up."

The impetus for the migration to automatics in trucks is coming from the smaller-GVM base, Isuzu suggests. Rental companies are offering light trucks with a GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) up to 4.5 tonnes, which can be driven on a standard licence. These trucks often form the basis for motorhomes and appeal to a wider customer base than manual trucks. Isuzu's N Series – soon to offer an automatic option with torque converter – will deliver the right sort of product for this market sector.

"The introduction of the Isuzu Automated Manual Transmission with torque converter (TC-AMT) to our F Series range has generated a fantastic response, with our customers praising its efficiency, smoothness and ease of operation," said Taylor.

"We're confident the updated 2016 N Series with Isuzu 3rd Generation TC-AMT will be just as popular."

Another factor in favour of automatic transmissions, as far as fleets are concerned, is the lower maintenance costs involved. There's no downtime fixing the clutch or other drivetrain components when the vehicle has an automatic transmission.

The automatic offers other advantages over the traditional manual, with Allison Transmission noting that an automatic can keep torque applied between four and seven seconds longer than a manual, for every 400 metres travelled. Allison may have a vested interest in saying as much, since it's the world's largest manufacturer of commercial-duty automatic transmissions.

Automatic transmissions are also five per cent more efficient than a manual truck operated by an average driver.

"When they do the sums around daily costs, and combine them with a higher resale value, it makes sense in the long run," Taylor concluded.