Mercedes 2008 Annual Report Download - page 99

Divisions |Daimler Trucks |95
In October, Daimler Trucks North America presented a compre-
hensive plan for the optimization and repositioning of its busi-
ness operations. One aspect of the plan is the discontinuation of
the Sterling production range as of March 2009 in order to con-
centrate our development and distribution resources on the Freight-
liner and Western Star brands. That will allow us to create more
innovations to promote safety, environmental friendliness and cus-
tomer utility, so that we can sustainably consolidate Daimler
Trucks’ leading position in the North American commercial vehicle
market. Beginning in 2011, these measures should improve
earnings by US $900 million a year.
The market recovery that was originally expected for the NAFTA
region in the second half of 2008 did not materialize. Instead,
the financial crisis and the subsequent economic slowdown led
to further market contraction. As a result of this difficult market
environment, unit sales by the Trucks NAFTA unit decreased by
12% to 104,300 vehicles in the year under review. With a market
share for Class 8 trucks of 30.9%, we managed to maintain our
market leadership in the NAFTA region. Our strong market
position for heavy-duty trucks is primarily based on the success
of the Freightliner Cascadia. The Cascadia is one of the most
high-performing, economical and driver-friendly semitrailer trucks
on the US market. In the medium-duty segment, the business
unit captured a 20.7% share of the NAFTA market.
In 2008, Daimler Trucks also recorded major successes in the
NAFTA region with regard to its Shaping Future Transportation
initiative. As part of its fleet expansion, the US parcel delivery
company, UPS, awarded Freightliner the biggest contract to date
for commercial vehicles using alternative drive systems and
fuels. Beginning in 2009, the 200 hybrid vehicles and 300 natur-
al-gas-powered trucks will help ensure that UPS can continue
to serve its customers reliably in an environmentally friendly and
fuel-efficient manner. In California, the ports of Long Beach and
Los Angeles have ordered more than 230 natural-gas-powered
trucks from Daimler Trucks North America. This is an important
step in the state-supported “Clean Truck Program” for replacing
older, high-emission vehicles.
Surge in unit sales at Trucks Asia. Trucks Asia, with its Mit-
subishi Fuso brand, is the second-largest manufacturer of light,
medium, and heavy-duty trucks in Japan. Mitsubishi Fuso also
covers the entire spectrum of buses, ranging from urban trans-
port buses to luxury travel coaches.
The new Actros Construction with PowerShift Offroad: robust, powerful, economical and comfortable.