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International RH Series. (International Motors)

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International Motors sold 16,900 trucks and buses in the first quarter of 2025, a 12% decrease compared with 19,300 vehicles in the same period 12 months earlier, parent company Traton Group said April 9.

The effects of a persistently weak freight market as well as uncertainty fueled by the Trump administration’s trade tariffs also hampered sales and affected the bottom line for International, the North American division of Traton, the parent company said. Still, Traton noted that the year-over-year decrease in North America truck sales was expected.

Wards Intelligence data showed marketwide declines in U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks in December, January and February.

While March data is yet to be released, International’s peers signposted that March brought no relief.

Daimler Truck North America sold 38,992 trucks and buses in Q1, a decrease of 16% compared with 46,229 vehicles in the same period in 2024, parent company Daimler Truck said April 8.

DTNA is the umbrella division for Class 8 truck makers Freightliner and Western Star plus Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner Custom Chassis.

And up to 350 staff will be laid off in April at Volvo Trucks North America’s New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Va., largely due to soft demand, the company told Transport Topics.

Analysts at ACT Research in March cut their 2025 Class 8 demand forecast by about 8% to 288,800 from 316,500 trucks and tractors as a result of the growing disquiet about a U.S. economy that previously was seen sticking a much softer post-COVID landing than industrialized counterparts around the globe.

Traton said sales around the world got off to a slow start this year due to challenging market conditions.

Globally, Traton sold a total of 73,100 vehicles in Q1, 10% less than the 81,100 trucks and buses sold in the year-ago period. Its Scania brand sold 22,200 trucks in the most recent quarter, down 16% compared with 26,500 trucks in the same period a year earlier. The Man Truck & Bus unit saw sales in Q1 fall 14% year over year to 20,600 vehicles from 24,000.

Traton said both brands were affected by continued subdued customer demand in Europe.

A bright spot came from Volkswagen Truck & Bus, whose sales rose 16% to 13,400 vehicles in the three months that ended March 31 from 11,500 vehicles in the year-ago period.

Traton said the increase was fueled by continued strength in the Brazilian truck market, although it warned momentum slowed of late in South America’s biggest economy due to the challenging economic environment. Sales rose in Argentina, the continent’s second largest economy and busiest market.

Traton is the commercial vehicle arm of automaker Volkswagen Group.

The company is scheduled to publish full results for Q1 on April 28.