Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum talked in an interview on the sidelines of the IAA Transportation conference in Hannover on Monday. He said that there are no signs of demand reduction in the truck market. Daimler Truck’s deliveries could have been higher by five-digit figures in 2021 and 2022 if there were no supply chain challenges.
The continued increase in demand ensures that the truck and bus makers can pass on its higher costs. So the company will be able to recover from the pandemic hit on its costs. At a target range of 7-9%, the margins are expected to be recovered. The company sold 120,961 units in the second quarter of 2022, up 4% from the same period last year.
Daimler Truck aims for up to 60% of its sales to be electric or hydrogen-fuelled vehicles by 2030, Daum said after the firm introduced its first heavy electric truck, fuelled by LFP batteries to reach a range of up to 500 kilometers. Daum said Europe, and Germany in particular was lagging on building battery production, with most still coming from Asia. “Germany has a clear competitive disadvantage when it comes to energy prices,” Daum said, referring to record high energy prices in the German market caused in part by a standoff on gas deliveries between Germany and Russia.
Progress
As of July 2022, four out of six Mercedes-Benz Trucks vehicles in the most important EU markets are covered by service contracts – individually tailored to the respective requirements. A third of these trucks are covered by Mercedes-Benz Complete. The comprehensive service package covers all-around carefree workshop jobs, including parts subject to wear on the chassis, as well as the replacement of units due to wear, from coordination of appointments to invoicing verification at stable monthly payments. For the eActros and eEconic, Mercedes-Benz Complete covers the ePowertrain for up to six years as an extension of the standard warranty. Mercedes-Benz Select is geared towards particularly price-sensitive customers and supplements the repair contract for the drivetrain (Mercedes-Benz Extend) with the maintenance service.
With the new customer portal, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is responding to the desire of many customers to make fleet management even easier, so they have more time for their day-to-day business. The new customer portal also provides access to TruckLive, the free access to the digital service world of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. The new digital service will be available in selected European countries from October 2022 and can be activated by concluding a TruckLive contract. TruckLive starts with two modules: maintenance management and current traffic data.