Truckmaker Volvo lifts market forecast amid higher deliveries

Stockholm

SWEDEN'S Volvo raised its market forecasts for North America and Europe on Thursday, as higher trucks and construction equipment deliveries helped it to top profit estimates.

The world's second-largest truckmaker behind Daimler also announced a partnership with Samsung to develop battery packs for its electric trucks, its second big deal in recent weeks.

The company, which joined forces with Nvidia Corp last month to develop artificial intelligence for self-driving trucks, is racing with rivals to develop autonomous and electric trucks.

The battle comes as rising geopolitical tensions and signs of economic slowdown have ignited concerns that, after years of strong growth, demand for trucks may have peaked.

Volvo indicated it now expected truck demand in Europe this year to be flat, compared with its previous forecast of down 6 per cent, while North America would be up 5 per cent instead of flat.

However, order intake for trucks, which the company sells under the Volvo, Mack, Renault and UD Trucks brands, fell for a second consecutive quarter - by 21 per cent to 47,821 units.

"The higher truck guide in Europe reflects a strong start to the year, but it has to be noted that Volvo has a less favourable mix versus others versus those regions performing well," Citi analyst Klas Bergelind said in a note.

Volvo shares, which have gained about a quarter in value this year, were little changed in early trade.

Chief executive Martin Lundstedt said the company would begin to adapt production to expectations of a market slowdown during the second half of the year. In the past, this has included reducing inventory and cutting working hours.

Handelsbanken analyst Hampus Engellau said: "The cycle is slowing coming into next year, and therefore I think this is important ... to avoid ending up in an underproduction, which has been the Achilles' heel historically for Volvo."

Volvo has seen strong demand in recent years as truck buyers renewed fleets starved of investment during the last downturn, but this has led to it facing supply chain bottlenecks that have added costs and weighed on profit.

The Gothenburg-based company has taken steps to address this and reported second-quarter operating margin grew to 12.5 per cent from 11.9 per cent a year earlier, staying above its 10 per cent target.

Operating profit rose to 15.11 billion Swedish crowns (S$2.2 billion) from 12.34 billion a year earlier, beating analysts' average forecast of 13.34 billion, according to Refinitiv. REUTERS