Of this, MAN Truck & Bus accounted for 83,200 vehicles, 5 percent up on the previous year. Scania unit sales rose by 6 percent over the previous year to 81,350 trucks and buses. On the other hand, unit sales at Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus contracted by roughly 17 percent to 20,370 vehicles, reflecting the protracted difficult economic situation in South America, particularly Brazil.
Andreas Renschler, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Truck & Bus and the member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG responsible for commercial vehicles says: "The crisis in Brazil, Brexit in Europe and the difficult conditions in the Middle East made 2016 a turbulent year. Against this backdrop, we are very satisfied with the increase in units sales achieved. We owe this performance to our outstanding products and a motivated and customer-oriented team. In this way, we were able to more than offset the muted sales in some markets through sales successes elsewhere."
Business in medium-heavy and heavy trucks rose by 2 percent over the previous year. MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus sold roughly 165,810 trucks. At the same time, the individual regions painted a mixed picture: driven by the sustained economic recovery in Western Europe, the Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands achieved a 9 percent increase in truck sales over the previous year in this region. Gains were recorded in Italy, France and the Netherlands in particular. Truck sales in Central and Eastern Europe rose by a significant 21 percent. By contrast, sales in Brazil were down, contracting by 24 percent over the previous year to 16,270 units. This was due to the protracted macroeconomic difficulties and the difficult financing conditions.
Unit sales of buses were also up in 2016. At a total of 17,780 units, the Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands recorded a roughly 4 percent increase compared with the previous year.
MAN in the 4th quarter — platooning on the German A9 motorway and electromobility partnership
Logistics group DB Schenker and MAN Truck & Bus have forged a development partnership for the deployment of high-tech trucks on the German A9 motorway, signing an agreement to this effect. For the first time, a logistic group and an automotive manufacturer will be joining forces in the development of networked truck platooning and testing these on the road.
Looking forward, MAN Truck & Bus will also be working closely with Munich metropolitan utility Stadtwerke München (SWM) and urban transit company Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) to conduct research into sustainable transportation models. In preparation of the next step towards electromobility, MAN Truck & Bus has entered into an innovation partnership with SWM and MVG.
Scania in the 4th quarter — successful new-generation truck series, inductively charged hybrid bus undergoing testing in Södertälje
The success of Scania's new-generation truck series is reflected in numerous favorable comparison tests in the trade press. Nearly all aspects were praised — drivetrain, performance, comfort, brakes, visibility and steering. Among other things, the new Scania ranked highest in German trade magazine Lastauto Omnibus' renowned 1,000-point test.
Since the end of 2016, Scania has been testing a newly developed electric bus with inductive charging in regular city traffic in the Swedish town of Södertälje. This is the first test of this type under Scandinavian climatic conditions. Both the bus and the bus stops form part of a research project in which several organizations are involved. The aim is to develop a quiet and sustainable public transportation system. This is one of several projects being overseen by Scania to develop solutions for future mobility in urban transportation.
Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus in the 4th quarter — capital expenditures in the midst of a crisis
In December 2016, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus adopted the largest capital expenditure package in its history. Volkswagen's Brazilian commercial vehicle brand will be spending a total of some €420 million over the next five years to update its range on an ongoing basis, to modernize its production plant in Resende and to develop connectivity services. In this way, the company will be well positioned once demand for trucks and busses picks up again in Latin America.