Germany - The Traton SE* (Traton Group) of Munich, Germany, which includes the Industrial Business segment (comprising the  three commercial vehicle manufacturing entities of MAN Truck & Bus, Scania Vehicles & Services, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (VWCO)) and the Financial Services segment (Financial services, including dealer and retail financing, leasing, and insurance products),  reported group revenues in the first half of 2019 had increased 7% to EUR13.5bn, up from EUR12.6bn in the previous first-half year, and that group operating profit had increased by EUR212bn, or the equivalent of 25% to EUR1.075bn (EUR863m). This margin is reflected in an operating return on sales of 7.9% compared with 6.8% previously.

During the first six months of 2019, Traton Group said it sold 123,336 vehicles worldwide, which was up around 10% against the same period in the previous year. Traton Group stated: ‘This growth was driven primarily by the continued favourable development of the core markets in Europe, especially Germany, and Brazil. At the same time, however, order intake during the first six months of 2019 was 120,491 units, which was 6% below the same period in 2018; driven by a decline in truck orders in the EU28+2 region, Russia, India, and Turkey as well as lower orders for buses in Mexico, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.’