“We plan to give the members of the brand’s executive boards increased responsibility for the profitability and performance of Scania, MAN, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus,” said Matthias Gründler, the CEO of TRATON SE. “Our brands need freedom in order to hit their profitability targets.” In their efforts to develop new technologies, the brands will focus even more intensely on becoming faster and more efficient. “In the months ahead, we will closely examine every ongoing development project and set new priorities,” Gründler told shareholders attending the virtual meeting.
The company remains firmly committed to its pledge to invest €1 billion in electrification through 2025. TRATON’s brands are making rapid progress in this regard: Scania has just presented its electric lineup of series-production commercial vehicles for urban areas. These vehicles include a plug-in hybrid that can cover 60 kilometers on a single charge and a BEV with a range of up to 250 kilometers. Both Scania and MAN Truck & Bus plan to introduce a lineup of electric city buses before the end of the year. Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus is working with partners in Brazil to develop an entire network for electric commercial vehicles — from manufacturing and charging infrastructure to battery lifecycle management.
The TRATON CEO has also set priorities for focused investments in topics of the future and cost discipline: “At TRATON, we are now building bridges to a new era,” the CEO said. The structures and processes in the holding company are also being scrutinized as part of efforts to create more added value for the Group. Gründler said the aim of this work would be to further combine the Group’s purchasing power and to become “an increasingly attractive employer for the most talented individuals in the market.”
The holding company is also acting as a driving force behind strategic issues of the future for the entire Group. This includes the new strategic partnership with the U.S. company TuSimple that will focus on developing autonomously driving trucks and was announced to shareholders on the morning of the Annual General Meeting. Self-driving trucks have the potential to increase the efficiency of logistics. TRATON intends to play a leading position in this field: “We acquired a stake in the company to underscore our commitment to this technology,” Gründler told the shareholders.