Daimler AG and Deutsche Telekom AG agreed to a 3.2 billion-euro ($3.8 billion) deal with the German government, ending a spat over the clunky start of a system to collect truck tolls that had become one of the country’s longest-running legal disputes.

Daimler AG struck an upbeat tone, calling for “slightly” higher 2018 earnings, as sales growth of its higher-priced Mercedes-Benz luxury cars such as the S-Class coupe helps offset record spending to develop electric vehicles.

INDIANAPOLIS — Alternative fuels and green technologies will continue to evolve and secure their roles within the trucking sector, but diesel is still the most efficient and cost-effective fuel and will be for some time to come, Kary Schaefer, general manager of marketing and strategy for Daimler Trucks North America, told attendees at the Green Truck Summit here last week.

Daimler AG said future collaboration with its new largest shareholder Li Shufu will hinge on keeping the manufacturer’s existing Chinese partner on board.

Daimler AG cast doubt on Tesla Inc.’s plan to deliver electric heavy trucks next year, saying its more modest goal to start selling battery-powered big rigs by 2021 is more realistic.

Diversified manufacturer Daimler AG reported it sold a record 3.3 million vehicles in 2017 — including a 13% increase in truck sales — as full-year revenue and earnings also peaked amid a strong fourth quarter.

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The recent introduction of Class 6 and Class 8 cabover models to the Mexican market is a key part of Daimler Trucks Mexico’s strategy in its home market, and a competitive response to the segment’s growth in the country, the company’s president said.

Truck makers highlighted growing demand for their equipment in third-quarter earnings reports even as they posted mixed results. One saw profitability slip but revenue climb, while two others reported an increase in net income and revenue.

Daimler AG is jumping the gun on Tesla Inc. by showing off a battery-powered heavy-duty truck weeks before the California electric-car maker’s own planned unveiling, in a sign of the growing rivalry between the companies.

Volkswagen AG and Daimler AG were inspected by European Union antitrust investigators as the EU stepped up a probe into allegations the German car industry colluded on technology for decades.