Daimler Truck warns of tougher H2 after outlook cut, shares lower

(Corrects quote attribution to CFO Eva Scherer in paragraphs 2-3)

By Amir Orusov and Ilona Wissenbach

(Reuters) -Daimler Truck on Friday warned of mounting headwinds in the second half of 2025 after cutting its full year outlook late on Thursday due to weakness in North America, sending its shares down 5%.

Daimler Truck's CFO Eva Scherer said in a call with analysts that the indirect impact of U.S. trade tariffs would cost the company a figure in the low triple-digit million euros range in 2025. That would be split evenly between the third and the fourth quarters, she said.

"The tariff impacts didn't hit us so much yet in the second quarter, but they will come into full effect in the second half of the year," Scherer said. She added that the company is absorbing part of the cost and passing some on to customers.

The direct tariffs impact on Daimler Truck is limited as the company operates under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.

U.S. tariffs have pummelled global automakers, forcing companies to book billions of dollars of losses, issue profit warnings, slash forecasts and raise prices.

The company also confirmed local media reports that it would cut 2,000 jobs across its U.S. and Mexican plants due to reduced production. The layoffs are in addition to 5,000 job cuts in Germany announced before.

The owner of U.S. truck brand Freightliner said it expected adjusted earnings before interest and taxes between 3.6-4.1 billion euros ($4.11-$4.69 billion), a significant decline compared to 4.15 billion in a company compiled consensus.

The new guidance accounts for the continued market weakness in North America, whereas it was unchanged for all other segments, the company said in a statement.

The outlook cut was not expected in this magnitude, said Fabio Hoelscher, an analyst from Warburg Research.

In May, the company cut its full-year adjusted EBIT forecast, reflecting lower expectations for its North American business on heightened demand uncertainty due to U.S. duties.

($1 = 0.8750 euros)

(Reporting by Amir Orusov in Gdansk and Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Matt Scuffham)