Scania income up, bus sales down

In its annual report for 2013, Scania’s operating income for last year rose to £797m/SEK8,455m (2012: £783.6m/SEK8,300m) with an operating margin of 9.7% (2012: 10.4%). Buses made up 7% of its net sales, which amounted to £8,196.5m/SEK86,847m (2012: £7,512.8m/SEK79,603m). The manufacturer claimed underlying demand for buses and coaches during 2013 was still weak as budgetary problems continued to challenge governments in Europe. With investments in PCVs (especially city buses) often publicly financed this factor adversely affected demand. Bus sales amounted to £624m/SEK6,610m (2012: £679.3m/SEK7,196m), with 6,853 deliveries made during the period.

Compared to the low levels of 2012, Scania’s deliveries increased somewhat in most regions during 2013. In Germany, Scania secured two major orders. On 18 November, it delivered 156 city buses to Berlin and on 27 November it secured Australia’s first ever Euro6 bus fleet order. One of the business’s highlights was the start of its PCV sales operation in India, where it entered the market with a new range of buses and coaches for intercity and tourist services. During the year the company broadened its range of Euro6 engines.