Interview: Arie Hendrikx, Managing Director, DAF Trucks Rus

Having suffered through various geopolitical challenges over the years, Russia’s new vehicle market is yet again looking to rebuild. By all accounts truck sales made a rapid recovery from the initial disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, with heavy vehicle registrations down only 1% year-on-year in July. However, fears of a resurgence in new cases mean there may be further hardship on the way. In August, new truck sales were down 11% year-on-year.

Arie Hendrikx is Managing Director of DAF Trucks Rus, the Dutch truck maker’s Russian division which first established a sales subsidiary in Moscow back in 2011. Its trucks are currently built in the Netherlands and sold via the subsidiary’s 29 dealers across Russia. Speaking to Automotive World, he gave his outlook for recovery and long-term growth, and why electrification looks unlikely for the foreseeable future.

How has the pandemic impacted your operations?

The situation with COVID-19 has