STUTTGART, Germany, Feb 16 (AFP) - German-US auto giant DaimlerChrysler expects 2005 to be another good year for its commercial vehicles division, following the record year in 2004, the head of DaimlerChrysler's trucks business Andreas Renschler said Wednesday.
"2005 will be another good year. January got off to a good start," Renschler told a news briefing here.
The division should turn in an operating profit in 2005 that was no lower than the 1.332 billion euros (1.7 billion dollars) booked in 2004, Renschler continued.
Despite the excellent year last year, DaimlerChrysler was aware that the market could "run differently" and the strong growth rates achieved in 2004 could not necessarily be matched again, the executive said.
The auto industry in general faced risks from exchange rates and higher raw materials costs.
Nevertheless, Renschel was upbeat about the outlook for demand.
"It will be stable in Europe. The domestic market in Japan is expected to decline. There will be growth in NAFTA, particularly in Class A (the heavy trucks sector)," he said, referring to the market of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States.
02/16/2005 15:18 GMT - AFP