Daimler Sees No Medium-Duty Sales Bubble in North America

HANOVER, Germany — There is no sales bubble coming soon for medium-duty trucks in North America, according to Martin Daum, president of Daimler Trucks North America.

Daum, interviewed here during the International Commercial Vehicles Motor Show, said, “I don’t see it at the moment.”

He said the recent jump in sales at the heavy end of the medium-duty truck market was mostly the result of fleets that had been buying Class 8 trucks looking to trim their purchase and operating costs by switching to smaller vehicles that can meet their needs.

Daum’s comments followed remarks by Hubertus Troska, his counterpart for Daimler’s truck operations in Europe and Latin America, who predicted a sharp increase in sales in his area.

Daum said medium-duty sales would pick up as the economic recovery gains strength, but that the United States generally has lagged behind countries such as Brazil and Germany.