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VOLVO

Volvo truck sales collapse by half

Swedish truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks has reported that sales of its vehicles collapsed by 54 percent in July.

The firm has reported sales of 8,899 vehicles in July 2009 in comparison to 19,243 in the corresponding period of 2008.

None of the firm’s markets reported positive figures in the month.

“We continue to bounce along the bottom,” press spokesperson Mårten Wikforss said.

The figures were forecast and Wikforss dwelled on the positives when he said that “it seems that the bottom of the market has been reached.”

“As it looks now, the question is when the recovery will begin,” he said.

The firm’s sales in eastern Europe were the hardest hit with only 300 trucks sold in comparison with 2,412 in July 2008, a decline of 88 percent.

Western Europe declined by 59 percent to 2,712 vehicles, North America was down 46 percent to 1,113 while South America reported a decline of 53 percent to 794 vehicles.

In Asian markets the decline amounted to 42 percent with 2,787 vehicles sold and other markets fell 31 percent to 1,193.

Divided into vehicle categories 45 percent fewer light trucks were sold, 22 percent fewer medium-sized trucks and 61 percent fewer heavy trucks.

The total decline for 2009 to date now comes to 54 percent with 70,795 trucks sold in comparison with 154,888 in July 2008.

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VOLVO

Sweden’s Volvo regains strength after pandemic puts brakes on earnings

Swedish truck maker Volvo Group was hit by a sharp drop in earnings due to the coronavirus pandemic, but business rebounded at the end of the year.

Sweden's Volvo regains strength after pandemic puts brakes on earnings
Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

In 2020, the group saw “dramatic fluctuations in demand” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, chief executive Martin Lundstedt said in a statement.

For 2021, Volvo raised its sales forecasts in its trucks division – its core business – in Europe, North America and Brazil.

However, it said it also expected “production disturbances and increased costs” due to a “strained” supply chain, noting a global shortage of semiconductors across industries.

The truck making sector is particularly sensitive to the global economic situation and is usually hard hit during crises.

In March, as the pandemic took hold around the world, Volvo suspended operations at most of its sites in 18 countries and halted production at Renault Trucks, which it owns, in Belgium and France.

Operations gradually resumed mid-year, but not enough to compensate for the drop in earnings.

With annual sales down 22 percent to 338 billion kronor (33.4 billion euros, $40 billion), the group posted a 46 percent plunge in net profit to 19.3 billion kronor (1.9 billion euros).

Operating margin fell from 11.5 to 8.1 percent.

However, the group did manage to cut costs by 20 percent.

“We have significantly improved our volume and cost flexibility, which were crucial factors behind our earnings resilience in 2020,” the group said.

Volvo's business regained strength in the second half of the year.

“Customer usage of trucks and machines increased when the Covid-19 restrictions were eased during the summer and this development continued during both the third and fourth quarters,” it said.

“Both the transport activity and the construction business are back at levels on par with the prior year in most markets.”

For the fourth quarter alone, the company reported a 38-percent rise in net profit from a year earlier.

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