Press Information
Daimler Trucks seeking to further strengthen
leading position in 2016
Same high levels expected in 2016 for sales and operating profit
(EBIT) from ongoing business – despite challenging market
conditions
Technology leadership, global market presence and intelligent
platforms to further strengthen industry leadership
2015 record figure in operating profit from ongoing business,
operating margin of 7.3 percent and sales target of 500,000 trucks
achieved
Dr Wolfgang Bernhard: "Despite a challenging market environment,
2015 was one of the best years in the history of Daimler Trucks. We
owe this to our outstanding products and services, strong sales
performance and continuous efficiency measures. Our team will
continue to follow exactly the same course in 2016 – and that will
ensure our success this year as well."
Stuttgart – Daimler Trucks achieved new record results in 2015: the EBIT
from ongoing business grew by 32 percent last year – to 2.7 billion euros
(prior year: 2.1 billion euros). The operating margin improved to 7.3 percent
(p.y. 6.4 percent). And sales rose to 502,478 units (p.y. 495,668), thereby
exceeding the mark of half a million trucks that had been a target for a long
time. Thus, Daimler Trucks has managed to increase sales by around four
percent between 2013 and 2015 – while the global market excluding China
has actually contracted by around four percent over the same period. Some
of the key markets developed far worse than expected in 2015: in Indonesia,
demand plummeted by 32 percent compared to the previous year, and in
Brazil the drop was even higher, at 49 percent.
"Despite a challenging market environment, 2015 was one of the best years
in the history of Daimler Trucks. We owe this to our outstanding products
and services, strong sales performance and continuous efficiency measures.
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
22 February 2016
Our team will continue to follow exactly the same course in 2016 – and that
will ensure our success this year as well," said Dr Wolfgang Bernhard,
Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for
Daimler Trucks & Buses, at the business unit's traditional annual press
meeting.
High levels for sales and profit targeted in 2016 too – despite difficult
market environment
In 2016, Daimler Trucks wants to maintain the high level of sales and EBIT
from ongoing business achieved last year. This is an ambitious target, as the
market environment is still a difficult one - probably even more difficult
than in 2015. The truck manufacturer expects demand for medium and
heavy-duty trucks in the relevant markets overall to decline slightly.
Significant regional differences are expected concerning the performance of
the truck market: Within the triad markets, a slight increase in demand in
2016 is only anticipated in Europe. In Japan, a level on a par with the
previous year is expected. In the NAFTA region, the medium and heavyduty truck segment (classes 6 to 8) is forecast to contract by about ten
percent during the current year. As far as the emerging markets are
concerned, Indonesia is expected to remain at the low level of 2015. The
outlook is even worse for Brazil where, following last year's heavy
downturn, the market is predicted to shrink even further – probably by
around ten percent.
Wolfgang Bernhard: "Our strategy is bearing fruit"
"In this challenging environment, we are looking to stabilise our business at
a high level by further strengthening our leading position and expanding our
market shares," said Dr Bernhard. "With our focus firmly placed on
consolidating our technological leadership, our global market presence and
our intelligent platforms, we are very confident to achieve this goal – for we
have the right strategy and our strategy is bearing fruit."
Connectivity offensive to strengthen technology leadership
The world's most successful truck manufacturer provided impressive proof
of its technological leadership in autonomous driving in 2015. In May it
held the world premiere of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, the world’s
first self-driving truck approved for road use in the U.S. state of Nevada.
Next, in October came the debut of the first self-driving production truck,
the Mercedes-Benz Actros with Highway Pilot, on the A8 motorway near
Stuttgart in Germany.
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
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Connecting trucks to the cloud opens up new opportunities for all involved
in truck transport: manufacturers, customers, financial partners, repair and
maintenance facilities as well as authorities. With real-time data, connected
trucks will improve the performance of entire transportation logistics
networks. Thanks to services such as FleetBoard and Detroit Connect,
Daimler Trucks already holds a leading position in truck connectivity. This
year Daimler Trucks will strengthen and build on that position with new
products and services.
"120 years ago, we invented the truck – and we will remain pioneers in our
industry in the future. Connecting our products to the Internet of Things is
critical to that end. With Fleetboard and Detroit Connect we’re already the
market leader in intelligent truck telematics today. We intend to build on
this position. We expect to take the same leadership role in connectivity as
we have taken in autonomous driving,” said Dr. Bernhard.
Growth offensive in highly promising emerging markets
Daimler Trucks is systematically expanding its global market presence.
The latest example are six new regional centres reinforcing sales and service
close to customers in emerging markets with promising growth potential in
Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Daimler Trucks
announced the six new centres a year ago, and three of them have already
entered operation in the meantime.
The Regional Centre for Commercial Vehicles in Dubai is responsible for
sales and after-sales in 19 markets in North Africa and the Middle East since
October 2015. In February 2016 the new Regional Centre for Eastern,
Central and Western Africa was opened in Nairobi, Kenya. From here it
manages 41 countries with a total population of 770 million people. This
region's high growth potential in the long term is obvious from its age
distribution alone: two thirds of the population are aged 25 or younger – a
proportion that is higher than anywhere else in the world.
February also marked the inauguration of the Regional Centre for
Commercial Vehicles in Pretoria, South Africa. Sales and service for nine
markets in Southern Africa will in future be steered from Pretoria. Experts
forecast an annual economic growth of over 4.5 percent towards the end of
this decade. The region continues to be rich in important natural resources
such as copper, oil and gas.
Along with its growth offensive in these highly promising emerging
markets, Daimler Trucks will also be fully capitalising on the advantages
resulting from its multi-brand presence as competition in this region
intensifies. The fourth Regional Centre is scheduled to open in early March.
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
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The Singapore-based team will in future be responsible for sales and service
for 18 markets in Southeast Asia. Further centres will follow in the course
of this year in Latin America and Southern Asia.
Use of intelligent platforms continues to pay off
Daimler Trucks continues to systematically move forward with its
intelligent platforms. The DT12 automated transmission revolutionised the
US market and is in very high demand there. It is manufactured locally in
Detroit since November 2015. Last year more than 40 percent of all
Freightliner Cascadia trucks sold in the NAFTA region were equipped with
the automated DT12 transmission.
In addition, Daimler Trucks will also offer its medium-duty engines in
North America starting from this year. In a later step, they will also be
produced in Detroit from 2018. The new engines with the designations DD5
and DD8 are further proof of the successful strategy employed by Daimler
Trucks of developing components for worldwide use and adapting them
locally. Towards the middle of this year, Daimler Trucks plans to present
further projects that form part of its global platform strategy.
Contact:
Florian Martens, + 49 711 17-41525, [email protected]
Susanne Lenz, + 49 711 17-41526, [email protected]
You can download further photos of the event at:
http://daimler-cvpressmaterial.de/dir/Daimler_Trucks_Jahrespressegespraech_2016/
Further information from Daimler is available at:
www.media.daimler.com and www.daimler.com
Forward-looking statements:
This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events. The words
“anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” ”can,” “could,” “plan,” “project,”
“should” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to
many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic conditions, in particular a
decline of demand in our most important markets; a worsening of the sovereign-debt crisis in the euro zone; an
increase in political tension in Eastern Europe; a deterioration of our refinancing possibilities on the credit and
financial markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, political unrest, armed
conflicts, industrial accidents and their effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities;
changes in currency exchange rates; a shift in consumer preferences towards smaller, lower-margin vehicles; a
possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to achieve prices and adequately
utilize our production capacities; price increases for fuel or raw materials; disruption of production due to
shortages of materials, labor strikes or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the
effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook for
companies in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful implementation of strategic cooperations
and joint ventures; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle
emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending government investigations and the conclusion of
pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we describe under
the heading “Risk and Opportunity Report” in the current Annual Report. If any of these risks and uncertainties
materializes or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, the
actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
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assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements since they are based solely on the circumstances
at the date of publication.
Daimler at a Glance
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars,
Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group
is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with
a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance, financial
investments, credit cards, and innovative mobility services.
The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in
the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today:
The Group’s focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal
and fascinate. Daimler consequently invests in the development of alternative drive trains with the long-term goal
of emission-free driving: from hybrid vehicles to electric vehicles powered by battery or fuel cell. Furthermore, the
company follows a consistent path towards accident-free driving and intelligent connectivity all the way to
autonomous driving. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its
responsibility towards society and the environment.
Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities in
Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world’s
most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and
Mercedes me, the brands smart, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses,
and Daimler Financial Services’ brands: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial, Daimler Truck
Financial, moovel, car2go and mytaxi. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart
(stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2015, the Group sold around 2.9 million vehicles and employed a workforce of
284,015 people; revenue totalled €149.5 billion and EBIT amounted to €13.2 billion.
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
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