Australian deliveries also a record for Swedish truck and bus manufacturer.
Global truck, bus and engine builder Scania has announced impressive results for 2014.
The company’s sales rose 6 per cent to a record 92 billion Swedish krona (AU$14.3 billion), with earnings increasing by 3 per cent to AU$1.3 billion.
Record service volume, record earnings in financial services and positive currency rate effects were partly offset by a weaker market mix.
Total order bookings for trucks increased during the fourth quarter, compared to the previous quarter.
“The increase was primarily related to an upturn in Europe, which is in line with the seasonal pattern in the European market,” Scania president and CEO Martin Lundstedt says.
“Scania has strengthened its position in the European market with increased market share compared to 2013, among other things through a leading Euro 6 range and a broad range of engines for alternative fuels.”
However Latin American orders fell, due to low economic activity and uncertainty about the subsidised financing programme in Brazil.
In Asia, orders also decreased compared to the previous quarter, “related to the Middle East”, Lundstedt says.
Order bookings in Russia held up “but the outlook for the region is uncertain”.
In buses and coaches, orders were higher due to Asian demand, while orders and deliveries of engines reached an all-time high.
Lundstedt says Scania is continuing its long-term efforts to boost market share in services, including financial services.
“In gearboxes, Scania has initiated extensive cooperation with MAN, which will mean a stronger product offering and generate significant synergies in the longer term,” he says.
Meanwhile sales in Australia reached an all-time high in 2014 of almost 800 trucks and more than 270 bus and coach chassis.