Volvo Financial Services (VFS) América do Sul based in Curitiba, Paraná, is now 30 years old on the Brazilian market with managed assets in 2023 totalling BRA 22 billion (USD4.4bn).

The eO500U chassis has been developed entirely by Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in Campinas, Brazil, where Daimler Truck's World Competence Center is located for the development of bus chassis.

Since its market introduction in 2003, 89,515 units have been registered, of which 85,461 are light trucks and 4,054 are medium trucks, which means an average of 4,475 units per year.

The vehicles were tailor-made for the Middle East market and eighty units of the coach bodies on the Volksbus 17.240 OT chassis were equipped with a removable roof.

Launched in 2003, the company says the VM represents a watershed in Volvo's Brazilian operation. It was the brand's first semi-heavy vehicle in the country, being designed and produced exclusively in the Curitiba (PR) industrial complex, one of Volvo's main factories around the world.

The new distributor will be responsible for sales of all temperature control refrigeration unit models.

Brazilian truck production fell by 38.5% in the first nine months of 2023 to 71,765 trucks compared with 116,675 units in the same period of the previous year, according to data from the São Paulo-based ANFAVEA.

All trucks segments recorded a fall in demand, except for semi-light truck segment, which grew by 24.1% totalling 6,638 units in the first nine months compared with 5,348 units in the same period of the previous year.

Brazilian production of bus and coach bodies grew by 9.1% from January to September 2023 with 14,888 units, compared with 13,646 in the same period of the previous year.

According to São Paulo-based ANFAVEA, the result reflected the engine change to Euro 6 compliance in January, which made the vehicles 20% to 30% more expensive.

BYD says it plough USD 580 million into a new factory on the premises of an old Ford facility in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil which closed in January 2021. The factory will consist of three separate facilities, one will focus on chassis production for the electric bus and truck market, the second will build electric passenger vehicles and the third, components for both commercial and passenger vehicles.

Roland Ramirez, Director Program Management Global BusLink at JOST said that the launch date of BusLink in Europe with an unnamed large European OEM was set for 2025.