LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Germany based MAN AG made headlines recently when it said overtaking Daimler as the globe’s largest commecial truck maker was its corporate goal but Andreas Renschler, head of Daimler, told a press briefing here that it will take much more than words to knock his company out of the top spot.

MAN AG, along with Sweden-based Scania Group, is part of the Volkswagon powerhouse. But both MAN and Scania face a distinct hurdle if they want to leap past Daimler because neither sells its trucks into the substantial North American truck market.

“We built our global position over many years. The rest (of the manufacturers) will have to catch up,” Renschler told trucknews.com when asked if he could foresee any reasonable scenario where MAN could move past Daimler globally. “To get the benefits of commonality of platform is tough work. It’s not done over night.”

To which Martin Daum, who heads up Daimler Trucks North America, chimed in: You have to build a global culture that allows you to take the best ideas from a particular market and be able to move them around the globe.

“That too takes time,” Daum stressed.

During his remarks at the Las Vegas press briefing, Renschler touched on Daimler’s recent global efforts.

Daimler has intensified collaboration with Kamaz, the biggest truck manufacturer in the biggest truck market in Europe:Russia.

In the biggest truck market of the world – China – its Joint Venture with Foton is up and running: Mid-term capacity for the production of Auman trucks is at about 160,000 units.

And just a few days ago, Daimler handed over the first BharatBenz trucks to customers in India. These vehicles are tailor-made for the promising “Modern Domestic” segment there, Reinschler said.

“So, you see, everything is falling into place now:  We have a benchmark portfolio in the triad markets. – We have a strong presence in the growth markets. – And we have come a long way in terms of flexibility and efficiency,” Renschler said.