The total deliveries from the Volvo Group's truck operations in April 2009 amounted to 9,196 vehicles, a decrease of 63% compared with the year-earlier period.
Deliveries for Volvo Trucks in April declined with 67% versus the year-earlier period. In Europe, the decline was 73%. The utilization rate in the operators' truck fleets has decreased, and the truck industry as a whole has too-high inventories of both new and used trucks. This will continue to impact the production of new trucks in the coming months with a very low capacity utilization in the industrial system as a consequence.
Deliveries in North America decreased with 75%, which is reflecting the low demand this year, and the comparison with a temporary peak in production in April 2008, after several weeks of standstill during the United Auto Workers strike.
Mack deliveries in April totaled 724 vehicles, down 59%. Prevailing economic conditions continue to weigh heavily on the North American truck market, in line with expectations. Mack has been particularly affected by low industrywide sales of dump trucks and mixers resulting from the dramatic decline in housing construction.
Deliveries from Renault Trucks decreased on all markets. In Europe, the decline in April was 67%, reflecting the continued low demand. In April, orders started to get recorded for the Renault Traffic van, which is new in the offering.
Nissan Diesel's deliveries in April totaled 1,363 units, a decrease of 64%. The number of deliveries in Asia was 1,041 units, a decrease by 65%. In Japan, the number of deliveries was 881 units, a decrease by 44%. The decline in the Japanese market reflects that the customers continue to postpone their purchasing decisions as a result of the economic crisis.