Daimler Trucks expects sales, earnings records in 2018

Reuters
Daimler AG's FUSO Super Great truck is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - Daimler's (DAIGn.DE) truck division, the world's largest commercial vehicle maker, expects to post record sales and earnings in 2018 as the economic environment offsets the flow of negative news about trade restrictions.

"Both in terms of volume and earnings, we will be for the year as a whole significantly above last year - it will definitely be the best year in our history," the head of Daimler Trucks Martin Daum told journalists on Tuesday at a briefing ahead of the IAA trucks fair in Hanover.

Daum said he nevertheless was deeply unsettled by increasing nationalism that was restricting trade.

"I can only hope that this virus will not become prevalent," he said.

(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; writing by Caroline Copley; editing by Thomas Seythal)