Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus gets a new name

June 22, 2022

One of South Africa’s preferred bus manufacturers – Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus – has a new name.

Volkswagen Truck & Bus is the new corporate name of Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus. The official announcement was made by president and CEO Roberto Cortes during the Capital Markets Day of the Traton Group in Södertälje, Sweden. The news coincides with the announcement of the expansion of the company’s presence in more markets, focusing on the West and North African regions, as well as evaluating opportunities in the Middle East.

Commercially, the company will continue to use the Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brand in Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries. In Spanish-speaking countries like Mexico, it will be kept as Volkswagen Camiones y Buses. For documents and corporate events, in addition to some export markets, the name adopted by the manufacturer will be Volkswagen Truck & Bus.

“The announcement of these changes occurs precisely when we seek to expand our global presence as suppliers of commercial vehicles and services. In partnership with importers, we want to increase our sales in the more than 30 countries where we already operate; enter new markets such as Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Sudan, and South Sudan, in Africa; and seek opportunities in the Middle East, such as Jordan, as well as amplifying the success obtained in markets such as the Philippines,” said Cortes.

The Capital Markets Day, which brought together investors and analysts in a hybrid format (in person and online), was attended by the entire board of the group, of which the Brazilian executive is also a part. “Volkswagen Truck & Bus has all the necessary conditions to continue growing. We will continue to increasingly invest, working on efficiency and group synergies to further improve profitability,” Cortes added.

Success Story

Created 41 years ago, the company started its operations in Brazil, offering two medium-duty truck models: the VW 11.130 and 13.130. Today, it maintains plants in Brazil and Mexico, a network with about 350 shops worldwide, and more than 50 different models of trucks and buses, which can still be tailored according to customers’ needs. In addition, the teams of Volkswagen Truck & Bus and the eight companies that make up the Modular Consortium production system total 5 000 employees.

Volkswagen Truck & Bus is the current Brazilian leader in truck sales (a title also held from 2008 to 2015), according to the National Association of Motor Vehicles. It also holds the historical runner-up position in the national bus chassis market, and carries out shipments of complete products or kits for its importers in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Its products are sold in South Africa by MAN Automotive.