CEO comment – Third quarter 2026

In Q3, Scania delivered a stable performance despite geopolitical uncertainty, with the development in the Middle East resulting in higher fuel costs and ongoing supply chain disruptions. Scania showed operational resilience and handled a varying truck market with flexibility, maintained strong cost efficiency and continued to focus on delivering value for our customers.

I am pleased to see that BEV truck orders are starting to pick up. However, the pace of adoption is still not moving quickly enough - a topic I will come back to. 

Performance varied across Scania’s business areas during the quarter. Our overall truck order intake remained at a stable level. Truck deliveries were slightly higher than in Q3 last year, although I am disappointed that challenges in our order-to-delivery flow limited deliveries in Europe.

Regional trends differed: activity was stronger in parts of Asia and Africa, while orders declined in Europe and Latin America. In Europe, battery-electric truck orders increased, although at levels that are still too low. 

Buses and coaches faced a more challenging quarter, with lower order intake and deliveries than a year ago, impacted by geopolitical uncertainty. Power solutions deliveries increased, while order intake declined following strong activity earlier in the year. This was partly linked to customers bringing forward purchases ahead of the transition to the new engine platform.

Our services business continued to grow strongly, supported by customers’ focus on keeping their existing fleets on the road. Uptime, repair quality and service availability remained important priorities for our customers. 

Operating result (6,033 MSEK) and return on sales (12.3%) improved compared with Q3 last year and reached their highest level since Q1 last year. Higher truck deliveries, a favourable product mix, continued growth in our services business and favourable currency effects more than offset increased R&D investments and China ramp-up costs. Our continued efforts to increase efficiency and strengthen cost discipline across the business also contributed to the improvement in profitability.

When I ask customers what makes Scania’s offering exceptional to them, they tell me that it’s about more than vehicles. Our products come as part of a complete transport solution, including a comprehensive package of services and financing options designed to maximise efficiency and uptime. This broad, holistic offer means that our support for customers extends far beyond the point of sale. Our service network helps us build close, lasting relationships with our customers, putting us right at their side throughout their transport operations. During Q3, Scania launched a range of new products and services that strengthen that premium offering further.

One of the transport industry’s biggest challenges is how to make electric trucks work for long-haul operations. In September, Scania addressed that challenge head-on, with the launch of a solution that brings together expanded battery capacity, megawatt charging (MCS) and a new vehicle configuration. This combination extends electric long-haul range up to 720km. Scania now offers BEVs for almost every application and operation, with MCS available as part of the offering. Now, by significantly extending the range of the trucks, we are helping to address one of the barriers to wider adoption.

Other important launches during the quarter included the Scania Dynamic cab update, focused on lowering energy consumption, boosting overall energy efficiency and improving driver comfort for both electric and combustion-engine trucks. The update includes improvements to visibility, seating, lighting and the interior, creating a more comfortable and intuitive environment for drivers, supporting them in their daily work. These updates were complemented by upgrades to our digital connectivity and Services 360 programme, giving fleet managers even more power to track energy use and maximise vehicle uptime.

I was also delighted to see Scania gain recognition for its achievements in safety in Q3. Scania's heavy-haulage G-series and R-series truck lines earned top five-star safety ratings in Euro NCAP’s testing framework, with the assessment highlighting Scania's advanced driver assistance systems and active safety technologies. Together with the L- and P-series results, Scania now has the highest number of five-star-rated configurations in the industry, with eight in total.

You have heard me say it many times: the technology for electric transport is ready, but market uptake is moving too slowly. That reality is reflected in our quarterly BEV volumes. While Q3 saw a higher BEV order intake compared with the same quarter last year, overall adoption lags behind where it should be.

The issue is not a lack of customer interest. Transport operators can see that electric solutions work for their business. However, they need to achieve cost parity with diesel equivalents to make their business case work. They also say that the ecosystem around the vehicles must improve before they can fully commit to the transition. That ecosystem is now at least three years behind, and still not developing fast enough. For electric transport to reach full scale, much more must be done to put the necessary infrastructure, grid capacity and policy frameworks in place.

In the meantime, we are doing everything in our power to make shifting to electric easier for all our customers. Just one example is JUNA, a joint venture between Scania and sennder. JUNA provides BEV trucks through a pay-per-use model, giving transport companies a way to switch to electric without large up-front investments.

During Q3, JUNA’s fleet across Europe surpassed 100 for the first time. This milestone is an encouraging example of how different business models and partnerships can help make electric heavy-duty transport a commercially viable option for more companies today.

Following the establishment of our industrial hub in China, Scania now has a truly global production system, giving us greater flexibility and resilience. In an era of ongoing uncertainty and supply chain disruption, this matters more than ever.

Our facility in China is much more than a production site: it is also a gateway giving us direct access to one of the world’s most advanced transport and technology ecosystems. Being in China gives us a real-world perspective on cutting-edge technologies, new business models, different customer expectations and faster development cycles (taking innovations from concept to production faster than anywhere else in the world).

Combining these insights with our long-standing engineering legacy and experience in developing transport solutions gives us a strong competitive advantage. As the world’s transport system evolves, the innovations and ways of working we are seeing in China will be adopted more widely. By bringing these learnings into our global offering now, we can ensure we will remain in the best position to drive the transformation in the future.

Developing business partnerships is one way we will take advantage of this opportunity. That’s why, in Q3, we launched Venture & New Business China (VNBC). This new initiative will identify, develop and pilot new business opportunities in China through strategic partnerships, customer collaborations and new ventures.

There is no denying that our industry is facing turbulent times. Scania is responding by doing what we do best. We are adapting, innovating, investing for the future, and supporting our customers through change, while all the time staying true to the Scania Way that is so valued by our customers. By doing so, we can continue to build the future transport system the world urgently needs.