Mercedes Benz
Country: Germany
Needing no introduction, Mercedes Benz has a long history in the Middle East, including establishing its operations in Saudi Arabia with Jufalli Group in the 1950s, and then a production line in KSA in 1997, a joint venture between Daimler and Jufalli.
The company prides itself on having the highest resale value in the region. However, one suspects that many of its trucks are never sold on, but instead used by their owners over a long life. The older Mercedes Benz trucks (always coloured green) are a common sight on many construction sites, especially in Saudi Arabia.
Man Truck and Bus
Country: Germany
With a diverse mix of models and a long-standing presence in the region, MAN is a recognised force in the GCC truck markets. In the construction industry, MAN works across all areas of the value chain, including providing planning for customers before a project begins, supplying vehicles over the project’s life, as well as service and training support.
It is aided in this by its strong network of distributors, including Darwish Bin Ahmed & Sons, based in Abu Dhabi, which sells vehicles into all areas of the market. Kuwait’s MAN distributor, Al Ahlia Heavy Vehicles, is currently expanding its showroom and service facilities.
Strong growth in 2023 for MAN across the Middle East indicates the company has got its mix right.
Renault Trucks
Country: France
Renault Trucks has a wide range of vehicles in the Middle East for construction applications and other uses, mainly represented by their Kerax range, as well as the smaller Midlum.
Part of the Volvo Group, Renault Trucks saw signficant sales growth last year in the Middle East.
The brand caters to applications in construction, including concrete mixers with a maximum 12m³ mixer volume. Configurations for the Kerax include the 6×4 HD with 12-14m³ tipper volume for earthworking activities, and the 6×4 XHD with a 16m³ tipper volume. The larger 8×4 XHD is also available with a maximum 23m³ capacity tray.
Powered by either a 11L DXi11 or a 13L DXi11, the Kerax engines are fitted with a cyclonic air filter to remove dust and other particles before the air enters the engine.
Renault Trucks can be found at work on key projects in punishing environments, including the fence being built on the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Scania
Country: Sweden
With a large range of trucks for long haulage and construction industries, Scania has a strong presence in the Middle East markets, despite struggling with sales last year as the market grew. The company has a facility in Jebel Ali for body fabrication, with capacity for building 1400 vehicles bodies per year, and was the first in the UAE.
Scania, like MAN, is part of the Volkswagen Group, but the two brands remain fierce competitors with similar market positioning. However cost efficiencies for both brands are achieved by VW’s buying power when it comes to sourcing of raw materials and components from third party suppliers.
Volvo Trucks
Country: Sweden
Rugged, hard working and safe is how Volvo Trucks bills its offering. As was the case when Volvo owned its passenger car brand, Volvo Trucks prides itself on the safety of its vehicles, and its design and testing process meticulously documents the results from a number of crash tests and rollovers.
Last year at the IAA commercial vehicles show in Hannover, the company even displayed a crash-tested truck from its new Volvo FH series.
Volvo Truck’s parent company AB Volvo recently formed a new subsidiary in China with the Dongfeng Motor Group Company, with Volvo paying $900m for a 45% stake in the new JV.
When operational Volvo will be the largest manufacturer of heavy duty trucks in the world across its multitude of brands. Last year the group recorded sales of $30.3bn across its several truck brands.
