Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2019

HDT APRIL 2019 22 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM AROUND THE WORLD Global truck OEM Traton reports solid growth Munich Germany based OEM Traton SE announced that it maintained its growth path last year achieving a vehicle sales increase of 14 by delivering a record 233000 commercial vehicles across its MAN Scania and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brands However on March 13 Volkswagen said it is holding off on its planned initial public offering IPO of the Traton trucks unit until market conditions improve according to Reuters Traton formerly known as Volkswagen Truck Bus is a wholly owned subsidiary of German vehicle maker Volkswagen AG According to analysts at Loom Capital Reuters reported Volkswagens decision to postpone the IPO was driven by poor market conditions and slowing fundamentals in Europe and China including the Brexit conundrum in the UK and the trade contest between the U S and China Nevertheless in 2018 Traton fully achieved our targets said Andreas Renschler Traton CEO and member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG in a Feb 20 statement This success was driven by outstanding products good customer proximity a strong team and a continued stable and attractive market overall The sales level was the highest achieved since the Traton group was established in 2015 The OEM said the gain was driven partly by continuing robust growth in Europe and sharply rising demand in Brazil The company noted that growth was very dynamic in the first six months of 2018 but weakened slightly in the second half of the year coming in at 10 in the fourth quarter All three Traton brands contributed to the groups third consecutive vehicle sales record Putting 102560 sales on the board MAN registered the most vehicle deliveries selling significantly more vehicles 14 than in the previous year Scania delivered 96480 trucks and buses 6 while demand for Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus VWCO Ford is ending its commercial heavy truck business in South America ceasing production of its Cargo cabover and F 4000 and F 350 Super Duty trucks as well as its Fiesta subcompact car The OEM said it is focusing on pickups and SUVs in the region Dropping these vehicles will cause Ford to cease production at its São Bernardo do Campo plant in Brazil during 2019 according to a press release Ford will be keeping a commercial hand in the region via its recently announced partnership with Germanys Volkswagen to develop mid size pickup trucks which are planned to be made for markets in South America as well as in Europe and Africa Lauterach Austria based transport and logistics firm Gebrüder Weiss has begun offering last mile home delivery service in Romania Under its GW pro line home offering goods ordered online are delivered directly to the end customers door and if required returns are handled as well Gebrüder Weiss said that online shopping is booming in Romania noting that in 2018 alone e commerce grew 30 year over year there JAC Motors of China which manufactures cars and trucks announced it has established a presence in 28 countries in Africa The OEM said its expansion across the continent was spurred on by Chinas Belt and Road initiative the countrys program to fund and build infrastructure projects around the world along what once were the ancient Silk Road trade routes According to the company JAC Motors has recorded exports of its SUVs light medium and heavy duty trucks along with vans pickups motor coaches sedans and SUVs to African countries including Algeria Egypt Nigeria Kenya Angola South Africa Ghana Ivory Coast DR Congo and Mozambique Hotlineglobal TRUCKINGS WORLDWIDE BUSINESS REPORTvehicles rose considerably against the background of the economic upswing in Brazil advancing by some 40 to 36360 units Deliveries of trucks climbed by 10 to 202490 but demand for buses grew by an even more substantial 18 to 22630 units Strong impetus for the bus business came particularly from South America and Africa In view of the high unit sales figures Renschler said that Traton was also benefiting from a good balance between our regional alignment and the strength of our core markets Therefore Traton remains the leading truck supplier in the EU28 2 region EU Norway and Switzerland Supported by another slight improvement in the European commercial vehicles market in 2018 the group raised year on year unit sales in this region by about 9 to 116690 trucks Traton also stated it remains the clear leader in the Brazilian truck market As Brazil is the regions biggest market and the most important single market for VWCO the countrys economic recovery is having an especially positive effect The group delivered a total of 40450 trucks in the South America region representing a sharp increase of about 37 compared to a weak 2017 We want to be a global champion in our industry said Renschler Our steady growth in the past three years proves that we are on the right track David Cullen Traton fully achieved its targets in 2018 according to CEO Andreas Renschler PHOTO TRATON SE PHOTO FORD BRASIL