BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- European truck makers called on EU governments Wednesday to give them more money to survive the credit crunch.
EU leaders start two days of talks on Thursday on a euro200 billion ($257 billion) plan to bolster growth as several European nations slide into recession. That includes euro4 billion ($5.1 billion) in loans for car makers to help them develop cleaner vehicles that release less greenhouse gas.
But Andreas Renschler, the head of Daimler AG's truck division and the chairman of the EU commercial vehicle manufacturers' group, said that does not go far enough and additional measures were still needed to tackle the crisis and relieve the credit crisis.
"Extra liquidity for research and development and product programs is essential to help our sector bridge these difficult times and sustain our investments in clean technologies," he said.
"Right now there is little need, willingness and ability to invest," he said. "Manufacturers of capital goods like us are among the first to feel the pain."
The group plans to reduce trucks' average fuel consumption by 20 percent by 2020. But the industry warns that the cost of refitting factories to make cleaner models is hard to bear when they are making less money.
Trucks, vans and buses saw sales slip 17 percent in October from a year ago. Sales in the first ten months of the year are down 5 percent compared to the same period in 2007.
Renschler said he spoke for commercial vehicle makers Scania AB, Man AG, Volkswagen AG, AB Volvo, DAF Trucks and Iveco SpA.
