The Volkswagen-controlled Traton Group ended Q3 2024 with a 5% year-on-year increase in commercial vehicle sales, delivering around 85,000 units. Despite this quarterly rebound, Traton’s total sales over the first nine months of the year reached 245,500 vehicles—a 2% decline from the same period last year. Among these, electric vehicle (EV) sales amounted to 1,130, down by 5%.
Within the Traton Group, contrasting trends are visible between its two brands, Scania and MAN. The Swedish brand Scania reported a 2% increase in Q3 sales, with 21,800 units sold. Sales for the first three quarters totaled 74,100, representing a 9% year-on-year increase. Electric vehicle sales surged at Scania, with 190 units sold between January and September, marking an 82% rise. However, e-trucks remain a small fraction of total sales.
On the other hand, MAN faced a challenging third quarter, with sales down by 29% to 19,900 units. For the cumulative January to September period, MAN sold 69,200 vehicles, reflecting an 18% decline compared to last year. In the EV segment, MAN’s figures also dropped; with 150 units sold in Q3 and 380 units year-to-date, the company experienced year-on-year declines of 47% and 43%, respectively. Traton attributes MAN’s performance to a contracting industrial vehicle market in Germany, while Scania’s growth benefited from the thriving South American market, where the brand is popular.
Daimler faces downfall
Another German truck manufacturer, Daimler Truck, also reported a downturn, delivering 114,917 trucks and buses in Q3, an 11% decrease from the same period last year. Mercedes-Benz Trucks recorded a particularly steep decline, delivering just 28,700 units—a 28% drop from Q3 2023’s figure of approximately 40,000.
However, Daimler saw positive results in North America. Daimler Trucks North America, which includes the Freightliner and Western Star brands, achieved a 4% increase, with over 49,000 trucks sold in Q3. In the electric vehicle sector, Daimler delivered 666 units, a 36% increase compared to the previous year.
| Unit Sales | Q3 2024 | Q3 2023 | Change in year-on-year terms. |
| Daimler Truck North America | 49 176 | 47 249 | +4% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 28 688 | 40 077 | -28% |
| Daimler Truck Asia | 32 245 | 38 051 | -15% |
| Daimler Buses | 6 677 | 6 789 | -2% |
| Daimler Truck Group | 114 917 | 128 861 | – 11% |
| Electric vehicles | 666 | 491 | +36% |
Decline at Swedish manufacturer Volvo
Volvo Group’s third-quarter results highlighted a sharper-than-anticipated decline in adjusted profits, primarily due to slowing transport and construction activity affecting vehicle sales. After a record sales year in 2023, demand has visibly cooled.
Volvo’s Q3 net orders fell by 8% to 43,200 units, and deliveries dropped by 16% to 46,300. Heavy-duty truck deliveries declined by 9%, medium-duty by 21%, and light-duty by 61%. European orders rose by 11% to 23,500, primarily due to strong demand for a new light truck model introduced this spring. However, total European deliveries decreased by 24% to 20,300 trucks, with light-duty deliveries specifically falling 62% due to the model change. By September, Volvo Trucks’ market share in the heavy-duty sector increased slightly to 17.5%, while its share in electric heavy-duty trucks grew to 49.3%.
Meanwhile, the market share of Volvo Group’s Renault Trucks also increased, with an 8.7% share in the heavy-duty market and 21.1% in the electric heavy-duty segment. Looking ahead, Volvo forecasts sales in both the European and North American truck markets will remain stable in 2025, with expectations of 290,000 to 300,000 vehicles sold in each market.