April 13 (Reuters) – German truck manufacturer Traton reported a 6% drop in vehicle sales for the first quarter of 2026 on Monday, driven by a 21% decline in its U.S.-based International Motors brand.
Weakness in the U.S. market persisted in the quarter, Traton said, while a tough market situation in South America also led to fewer deliveries at the Scania and Volkswagen Truck & Bus subsidiaries.
The company delivered 68,600 vehicles between January and March, down from 73,100 in the same period last year. Deliveries of electric vehicles grew 38% in the same period.
The MAN Truck & Bus brand recorded a 14% increase across its models, which Traton attributed to recovery in Europe.
UBS analysts said in their first take on the results that the number of sold vehicles was 4% lower than expected, while raising concerns over Traton’s profitability in China and the United States.
Traton is exposed to U.S. tariffs on heavy-duty trucks, imposed under the Section 232 nL2N3VC15U national security trade statute, which applies to its Mexican manufacturing sites supplying the U.S. market.
Scania also started up a new production plant in Rugao, China in October. Analysts from Citi have voiced concerns about underutilization at this site.
(Reporting by Simon Ferdinand EibachEditing by Linda Pasquini, Miranda Murray and Milla Nissi-Prussak)
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