MAN Truck & Bus sales were up 8% year-on-year, coming in at 89,990 vehicles. Scania's sales rose to 90,780 trucks and buses, up by 12%. Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus sold 25,880 units, a considerable increase of 27%. This impressive growth in sales was fueled by exports and the positive development seen in Brazil.
Andreas Renschler, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Truck & Bus and member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG with functional responsibility for Commercial Vehicles, said: "Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group recorded extremely positive sales figures in the second consecutive fiscal year since the Company was founded. MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus have all played a part in this increase in sales. The portfolio of MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus is a very attractive one for those in the market for a commercial vehicle. This is why we have been able to reap the benefits of the demand for commercial vehicles in the regions."
The Group's truck business also performed well in 2017. The brands of Volkswagen Truck & Bus sold 183,480 trucks, which is equivalent to an increase of 11% year-on-year. The development of the markets varied somewhat from region to region. The Group sold 106,580 vehicles in the EU28+2 region (EU member states, Norway, and Switzerland), a figure virtually on par with the previous year. Sales in South America climbed to 29,590 vehicles; a significant increase of 30% that highlights the Group's position as market leader in Brazil. Like Brazil, Argentina also reported growth in sales volumes as a result of government reforms and impetus provided by the agricultural sector. Russia's falling inflation rates, demand for replacement vehicles, and the signs of recovery shown by the country's economy resulted in a significant increase in sales. Positive development in China had a particular part to play in the considerable rise in sales volume in the Asia-Pacific region.
2017 was also a successful year for the bus business of the three brands of Volkswagen Truck & Bus. A total of 19,220 buses were sold, approximately 8% more than in the previous year. This was primarily helped by the higher sales in Brazil.
Andreas Renschler elaborates: "2017 was a very successful year for Volkswagen Truck & Bus. We made progress in implementing our Global Champion strategy and have continued to grow closer together as a Group. Our sales figures show that despite all that, we have not lost sight of our customers and the market – instead, we have been able to expand our strong position thanks to our attractive products."
MAN positions itself as full-range manufacturer with new addition TGE, strengthens market leadership in gas busses in Europe. Platooning commitment obtained and Lyon's City Bus presented
MAN presented new additions to its van and truck ranges for 2018 at the Full Range Days in Barcelona, positioning as a full-range manufacturer for the first time. By introducing the MAN TGE van, the Munich-based commercial vehicle manufacturer has expanded its portfolio to include a lower weight category, which means it now offers commercial vehicles weighing between 3 and 44 tons. The TGE is a light commercial vehicle for customers in the logistics, courier service, and craft trades sector. Demand for vans will also continue to rise in the future as a result of online sales. In the medium-duty range, the new D08 generation of engines with SCR exhaust gas after-treatment systems and simplified installation, will be used in the future, lowering vehicles' consumption considerably by up to 5.5%.
MAN was able to defend its position as leading provider of gas buses in Europe in 2017 with a major order from Copenhagen, where in the future 41 MAN Lion's City GL CNG buses will be in service. The new buses with a capacity of up to 150 passengers each will be deployed on the city line, which is one of the busiest routes in Denmark, carrying 20 million passengers a year. Another success for MAN was the major order from a South Korean bus operator, who will in future have 30 MAN CNG buses in operation. As one of Europe's leading bus manufacturers, MAN has great expectations for its new MAN Lion's City bus, which was presented in July. With its modern assistance systems the Lion's City helps to improve safety in traffic and operating costs.
MAN also received funding approval from the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur) for its ground-breaking platooning project with transportation company DB Schenker. For the first time in Germany truck platoons will be tested in everyday operation on the digital test section of the A9 motorway.
Scania: Market launch for a new generation of trucks for urban conditions and cooperation with HAVI. Launch of Scania One and Scania Growth Capital
Having launched in December the L-series, purpose-designed for urban conditions, Scania is embarking on the third stage of introducing its new generation of trucks. The spotlight here is on the vehicles' use in delivery operations and regional logistics, as well as their potential as waste collection and rescue vehicles. Scania is setting store by a new range of 7-liter engines compatible with alternative fuels like gas. Scania wants to set the benchmark for cost efficiency here, just as it did with the XT range launched September 2017. The debut of an innovative Euro 6 gas engine marks Scania's wish to expand its leading position in the field of alternative drives. The OC13 13-liter gas engine has a range that makes it suitable for both long-haul transport and for construction sites and makes it possible to lower CO2 emissions significantly by up to 90%.
Scania announced the planned cooperation with logistics group HAVI. The goal is to improve the carbon footprint in transportation to and from McDonald's restaurants in numerous European countries in the first six months of the year. In doing this, HAVI intends to use more gas-driven commercial vehicles and hybrid models from Scania.
Scania also presented its new digital marketplace, Scania One, which is aimed at fleet operators and drivers and offers them a number of services. With Scania One, drivers of more than 300,000 digitally connected Scania trucks will be able to access the Scania services and also use services of third-party providers in the future. The aim is to enable users to run their fleets more efficiently and profitably. With the founding of Scania Growth Capital, Scania intends to invest in innovative, fast-growing start-ups in order to utilize their business models and technologies.
Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus offers the best-selling trucks in Brazil with its Delivery and Constellation models and presents the e-Delivery
With its Delivery and Constellation models, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus has now been offering the best-selling truck series in Brazil for eleven years. The newly developed Delivery was presented in October to further strengthen its strong market position. Launched at the Fenatran fair, this light- and medium-duty truck series for fleet operators and small shippers has been already contributed to the unit sales of Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus with 1,000 units. An addition to the Delivery series is the electric version e-Delivery which will go into serial production in 2020. Ambev, the largest brewery in Latin America, will be the first customer to trial the vehicle. Bulk orders such as the 154 busses ordered by the international brewery Heineken are further boosting Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus's exports.
Digital RIO platform goes live in December 2017
Around 350,000 MAN and Scania trucks are already connected. RIO, a digital brand of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, has been available to its customers since December in the form of RIO Essentials, a compilation of free services. The range of functions includes a fleet monitor showing the real-time position of the vehicle along with further information, for instance kilometer reading, tank level, and driver identification. RIO Essentials also offers performance analytics that use vehicle data that has been evaluated to give recommendations for action. The fact that RIO is now live underlines Volkswagen Truck Bus's mission to actively shape digital transformation within the industry. On January 15, 2018, the RIO marketplace went live where customers can find RIO Services, OEM services, and partner services. In 2018, both MAN and Scania will migrate OEM services to RIO.