As MBSA will not report sales, MAN mulls own reporting future

"But then we all lose out." He adds that MAN "will not report if others don't", as it may render MAN less competitive in the local marketplace. MBSA's announcement came at the end of last year on the back of a global directive from its German parent company, Daimler. It now only provides one comprehensive monthly number for passenger car sales and one for commercial vehicle sales.

Earlier this year MBSA CEO and president Dr Martin Zimmermann explained that the directive follows antitrust regulations in Europe, which inhibit the sharing of information among competitors, as it could lead to collusion. "We stopped sharing data in Europe last year," he noted. Geyer, also the CEO of a German subsidiary in South Africa, does not believe reporting segment-and-model-specific figures to Naamsa, as most local vehicle brands currently do, is an offence. "We say reporting the figures is not an offence," Geyer told Engineering News, adding that MAN has looked at the situation, and has "no problem" with the antitrust legislation. He considers MBSA's halting of model-specific reporting as "a step backwards", and a decrease in market competition, which is "very sad".

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