According to foreign media reports, Traton, a truck business unit of Volkswagen Group, said that the commercial vehicle market is expected to perform flat in 2025. Previously, the company’s 2024 performance was dragged down due to continued weakness in Europe (especially Germany).
“We expect global economic growth momentum to weaken in 2025,” Traton said in a statement. Therefore, Traton will continue to focus on efficiency improvement measures this year. The truck maker expects the company to increase sales in 2025 between -5% and +5% and its operating margin is between 7.5% and 8.5%. Traton said the prospect depends on geopolitical situations, especially in the United States.
Traton’s main profit metric, adjusted operating margin, rose to 9.2% in 2024, surpassing the 2023 level and the company’s expectations, but this is mainly due to efficiency improvement measures, as its truck sales actually declined. Last year, Traton’s annual sales and adjusted operating profit remained stable at €47.47 billion (US$51.47 billion) and €4.38 billion, respectively.
In terms of electrification transformation, Traton’s electric truck sales fell by 17% to 1,739 units in 2024, and the share of electric trucks in its total sales dropped from 0.6% to 0.5%. Traton noted that the decline in electric truck sales increased the risk that it could not meet its carbon reduction target. However, Traton said new orders for its electric trucks and vans have jumped 60% to about 4,000 units.
Braking by this news, Traton shares climbed 1.3% in early trading in Frankfurt. It is worth noting that as Traton announced its results, its parent company Volkswagen is undergoing a large-scale restructuring in Germany and laying off thousands of employees due to shrinking market demand in Europe, intensifying competition from Chinese automakers and uncertainty in the transformation of electric vehicles.
These companies face difficulties in 2024 due to a decline in sales after the pandemic has driven European truck manufacturers to record highs.
However, in 2025, European truck manufacturers’ stock prices rose sharply due to expectations that the volume of orders before the tariffs imposed by US President Trump, automakers will transfer more production operations to the United States, and the improvement in European market prospects. Swedish truck maker Volvo Group reported in January 2025 that orders were strong in the fourth quarter of 2024, with some analysts saying this could signal a positive outlook for the European truck market.