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OPERATORS want to aintain the current levels of er-sales service and have new technology of tumorw's trucks, they will have pay inure for today's hides, according to Iveco K sales and marketing -ector 1)avid Gill.
Iklivering Iveco' s annual late of the union" report on : UK truck market. Gill irned that minimal market .owth is still creating tssive over-capacity among iropean truck builders, des7e restructuring.
"lithe industry is to ogress," said Gill, "it must t Only become more ern'Lit, but charge inure for its °duets."
He predicted an eight per at price increase in 1986, hough the final price for a w truck "will still depend the amount of discounting ing on".
While few hauliers will mplain about a manufacturprice war, Gill cautioned it excessive discounting will alit in less money being ent on research and velopment.
"The message is that future product development is related to the industry as a whole. It is no secret that those in the best (financial) position have new products to offer. And that the worst performers are the heaviest discounters."
Excessive discounting on heavy trucks abated "quite well" during 1985, said Gill, although it is now rife at 7.5 tonnes
(VW and this is "seriously depressing the average price in the industry". Therefore manufacturers will find it difficult to develop new products, he said.
But Iveco UK chief executive Alan Fox says the Mini) any will "refrain from joining fully the discounting practices of some of them".
Fox criticised many of his competitors without naming them of selling vehicles either at or below cost, a practice he described as "over-the-top discounting".
Despite the virtual standstill in the overall European truck market, Iveco expects the UK market to increase slightly in 1986 to 57.000 vehicles above 3.5 tonnes GVW, compared with nearly 56,000 vehicles last year.
The extra growth will conic from the 7.5-tonne, 16tonne and maximum-weight tractive unit market segments, it says. Iveco also expects to see a growth in contract hire in 1986 following the further reduction in capital allowances.