Volkswagen’s Traton Truck Division Expects Sales Recovery by 2026

Volkswagen's commercial truck division Traton anticipates a rebound in vehicle sales by 2026 following a challenging year marked by declining revenues and weak market demand. The German manufacturer reported a 9% drop in unit sales last year but forecasts growth between negative 5% and positive 7% for 2026.

Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle division Traton announced Wednesday its projection for recovering truck sales by 2026, following a difficult period that saw significant declines in the previous year.

The German manufacturer anticipates unit sales growth ranging from negative 5% to positive 7% in 2026, with adjusted operating return on sales expected between 5.3% and 7.3%. This outlook comes after the company experienced a 9% drop in unit sales and achieved a 6.3% adjusted return on sales in the prior year, according to preliminary figures released in January.

“The Group plans to offset additional costs from tariffs as much as possible through mitigation and cost measures,” the company stated in its announcement.

Traton’s financial performance reflected challenging market dynamics, with sales revenue dropping 7% to 44.1 billion euros ($51.2 billion) in 2025. The company’s adjusted operating result fell dramatically to 2.8 billion euros, down from 4.4 billion euros in 2024. These declines were attributed to difficult market circumstances influenced by U.S. import tariffs and reduced demand across European markets.

Despite the revenue challenges, the company saw positive momentum in new business, with incoming orders rising 7% last year. This increase was primarily fueled by a substantial 32% surge in European orders. However, North American customers remained cautious, continuing to delay purchases due to concerns about U.S. tariff policies.

Following the announcement, Traton’s stock price declined 4.4% in premarket trading activity.