Transforming transport: Volkswagen Truck & Bus is now the TRATON GROUP

The official name change will be an important milestone on the Group’s path to becoming a Global Champion

Munich, August 30, 2018– As of today, one of the world’s largest transport groups has a new brand identity: Volkswagen Truck & Bus AG becomes TRATON AG.

Andreas Renschler, CEO of TRATON AG and member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, said: “TRATON is a young company with the unique flair of a start-up and the vast experience of its traditional brands. This combination has what it takes to reinvent transport for future generations. As of today, we will begin to spread the TRATON spirit across all our brands, locations and functions. It is impressive to see how strong our bond is: TRATON lives on through its brands and vice versa. Together, we are the TRATON GROUP, and we are dedicated to taking transport to the next level.”

The Group, founded in 2015 as Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH, consists of the brands MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Truck & Bus and RIO. TRATON, as a new identity for the umbrella brand, will promote the independence of the entire Group to become a Global Champion – i.e. the most profitable, innovative and globally-present player in the transport industry.

“Our Group consists of strong and unique brands, but TRATON makes us even stronger. Under one roof, we can join forces and combine our innovative capabilities. TRATON connects the brands and encourages our collaboration. With TRATON, we are creating the foundation for a new transport and logistics ecosystem,” said Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Scania and member of the Board of Management of TRATON AG.

During the first years, the Group has already made significant progress by focusing on its strategy to become a global champion. The Group has increased the global presence of its brands with strategic partnerships and realized synergies by combining forces in purchasing and R&D.

“As a Group, we have grown together faster than expected. Now, we are increasingly leveraging the combination of our strengths and sharing expertise across the brands. TRATON, the Group’s new identity, reflects our DNA and our open-mindedness so that we can learn from each other and discover new paths. It represents this joint approach and will further promote it,” says Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN and member of the TRATON GROUP Management Board.

With the adoption of this new name, the Group will start an “inside-out” campaign starting today, with parallel events for employees taking place in Munich, Braunschweig, São Paulo and Södertälje. The fundamental idea is to spread the TRATON spirit throughout the organization in different waves and write the TRATON story together.

The approach follows a network philosophy: the appointed ambassadors are part of the new TRATON generation and create a community. They will use the current momentum and motivate other teams within the TRATON GROUP to connect across brands, hierarchies and functions. An internal platform with multimedia content and discussions in the areas,will be responsible for maintaining this momentum.

Antonio Roberto Cortes, CEO of Volkswagen Truck & Bus and member of the Board of Directors of the TRATON GROUP: “TRATON gives our brands a new identification potential. It will help to distinguish the Group from other Volkswagen brands. Ever since we started working together, all members of our team have been eager to take things to the next level through collaboration and help our customers win the race. This idea has a name: TRATON”.

The new name and the new motto “transforming transport” reflect what the company is aiming for and how it is acting:

•  TRAnsforming the transport ecosystem is our mission – for the benefit of all.

•  TRAnsport is our passion. And our customers’ too.

•  TONnage is what our customers are moving around the world, every day.

•  The heritage of our strong brands is our foundation.

• Always “ON” is our customers’ main goal, and our attitude to making it possible for them.