Big chill ahead

摘要

Volvo forecasts likely 40 per cent plunge in this year's UK heavy truck market and believes that the depth, staying power and resulting fallout from today's sudden truck sales crunch could still be felt during next year's second half. Volvo's successful UK truck operation, while fully acknowledging the onset of a severe and longer than earlier feared truck sales drought, plus the sudden piercing pain from sterling's enduring weakness on the currency exchange front, remains confident that it is well equipped to weather the severe storms ahead without falling into loss. Its managing director Goran Nyberg, who took the helm of Volvo's still high-flying UK offshoot last September, told AID that Volvo's UK truck division, despite this year's far weaker overall truck demand "will remain profitable". Asked if the same goes for 2010, he said "yes".