At the IAA 2014 truck show in Hannover, Germany, this week, Dr. Wolfgang Bernard discussed Daimler‘s global market strategies for truck sales and company profitability. He noted that the NAFTA markets since 2013 to the present have had an 8% increase in truck sales. He predicted truck sales in this sector would likely top out at approximately 10% by the end of this year.
“NAFTA results were better than we expected,” Bernhardt said. He indicated that these results are stronger in NAFT than the other regions within which the company does business. This typifies how global strategies that help companies, such as Daimler, weather economic changes in their markets and helps companies remain financially strong through economic downtimes.
In addition to its European and NAFTA markets, the company manufactures and sells trucks through its ventures in India, China, Japan and exports trucks to Indonesia and countries in Africa.
Martin Daum, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks of North America (DTNA), commented about DTNA North American truck sales saying that the company has seen increased interest in its DT12 transmission and they are sold out through 2014. He stated, “This is beyond our wildest dreams.”
When asked about future truck sales in the United States in relationship to upcoming GHG 17 emission legislation, Daum suggested that fleets are becoming more aware of the advantages of the EPA 2010 engines and are becoming more willing to purchase trucks with this engine because of the lower cost of ownership they provide. As for truck sales in the future, he says “Interest rates are the biggest obstacle to truck sales.”
Pictured above: Dr. Wolfgang Bernard (right) and Martin Daum (left)
