Daimler Sees Higher Worldwide Truck Sales
Daimler AG’s truck unit’s return on sales could average as high as 8% in the next three years as worldwide markets rebound, the company said Tuesday.
Industry-wide demand for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks will increase 8% to 2.6 million vehicles through 2013, when the market is likely to peak, Daimler said.
“A return on sales of 8% is within reach for Daimler Trucks across the entire business cycle,” Andreas Renschler, head of Daimler Trucks’ worldwide operations, said in a statement.
Truck markets will expand this year by 10% to 15% in North America, 50% in Brazil, 20% to 30% in Japan and about 5% in Europe, the company estimated.
Daimler Trucks, which closed plants in Asia and North America and during the recession, posted a third-quarter operating profit of about $651 million after losing $165 million a year earlier, Bloomberg reported.
Daimler Trucks North America makes Freightliner and Western Star brand trucks in North America.
Worldwide markets for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks will grow by 8% to 2.6 million units from 2010 to 2013, Renschler said. Daimler Trucks “will succeed in boosting sales by more than 40% to over 500,000 units during the same period.
“The economy is rebounding, and with it the demand for commercial vehicles,” Renschler added. “It’s true that this is market- specific and is happening at different speeds from market to market, but the indications overall are positive worldwide.”
