International Motors Q3 Truck, Bus Sales Drop 57%
Sales Also Slump 23.9% Compared With Q2
Key Takeaways:
- Traton Group said Oct. 10 that its U.S. unit International Motors sold 13,400 trucks and buses in Q3 2025, down 57% from the prior year.
- The drop followed an unusually strong Q3 2024 and came amid a weak U.S. truck market hurt by tariffs and a prolonged freight recession.
- Traton will report full Q3 earnings Oct. 29 after cutting its North American truck sales outlook in July and warning of continued demand softness.
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International Motors sold 13,400 trucks and buses in the third quarter of 2025, a 57% decrease compared with 31,500 sales in the year-ago period, parent company Traton Group said Oct. 10.
Through the first nine months of 2025, International’s sales have decreased 28% year over year to 48,000 trucks and buses, the parent company said. On a quarter-by-quarter basis, International’s sales in the most recent three-month period fell 23.9% from 17,600 vehicles in the second quarter.
International’s sales dived year on year due an “exceptionally strong” Q3 2024, when a delivery backlog caused by a fire at the plant of a mirror supplier was resolved, the parent company said.
“The U.S. truck market remains weak amidst tariff-related uncertainties and an ongoing freight recession, leading to continued caution among truck customers,” said Traton.
The softness was expected, and Traton had cut its outlook for Class 8 sales when it released second-quarter earnings in July. Traton projected then that North American Classes 6-8 truck sales would fall between 7.5% and 17.5% year over year, with 2025 Class 8 sales expected to come in at 275,000.
The company’s previous estimate was for Classes 6-8 to see sales that were at best flat or at worst down 10%. Uncertainty has reigned since then, particularly as President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on imported trucks and parts looms over the heavy-duty tractor market. North American Class 8 truck orders fell year over year for an eighth consecutive month in August. Order season typically kicks into another gear come September, raising the level of attention upcoming figures could command.
Globally, Traton’s sales declined 16% year over year in Q3 to 71,400 vehicles from 85,300 trucks and buses in what it termed a “persistently weak and uncertain market environment.” In the first nine months of 2025, Traton’s global truck and bus sales totaled 224,500 vehicles, a decrease of 9% from 245,400 in the year-ago period.
A Scania truck in Poland. Traton said that Scania benefited from aĚý“high level of incoming orders” in Q3. (Aaron Perryman/Transport Topics)
Traton’s Scania unit posted a 1% decrease in sales in Q3 to 21,500 vehicles from 21,800 trucks and buses in the year-ago quarter. Scania benefited from a “high level of incoming orders” in earlier quarters, Traton said, although sales decreased in Brazil due to high dealer inventory levels, rising interest rates and high inflation.
MAN Truck & Bus sales rose 24% year over year in Q3 to 24,600 vehicles from 19,900 units. Traton said that while the European truck market remains weak, MAN’s sales increased year on year, and bus and vans sales also rose. The company did not provide a breakdown by category.
Volkswagen Truck & Bus saw a 4% decrease in sales in the most recent quarter to 11,900 vehicles from 12,400 units. Brazilian sales fell, Traton said, but sales in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru rose.
Traton is the commercial vehicles unit of automaker Volkswagen. It willĚýreport its full Q3 earnings on Oct. 29.
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