In short, positive developments. Because demand for our products is still strong and we expect a slow improvement in the supply chain. We therefore clearly see our key numbers being positive for the year as a whole. We already reported that when we presented our first quarter numbers and we are sticking with our outlook today: We expect sales to be between 500,000 and 520,000 units, compared to 455,400 last year. We expect revenue of between 48 and 50 billion euros, compared to 39.8 billion euros in the previous year. We also expect a significant increase in adjusted EBIT. And in our industrial business we expect an adjusted Return on Sales of 7 to 9 percent – and thus also an increase compared to the 6.1 percent in the previous year. So, we head into the remainder of this year with optimism and confidence.

That said, I am well aware external risks have increased over the past few weeks and months. As a result, many fear the global economy will slow down further. And a downturn, the fear goes, would directly affect us as a cyclical industry. Such concerns are generally justified. Because, as a rule, an economic slump does indeed have an early impact on capital goods and thus on commercial vehicles.

At Daimler Truck, however, we currently are in an exceptional situation, which would cushion a moderate economic downturn: We have recently delivered fewer vehicles to our customers than they actually wanted to buy. As a result, those customers are so far behind in their fleet renewals that they now urgently need and want new trucks. They can no longer postpone new purchases. We therefore do not observe any order cancellations. Furthermore, even if some orders were to be cancelled, it would only result in us going from “overheated” to normal. We therefore remain optimistic about the current year for good reason.

That brings us to our longer-term view, beyond 2022.

With the same level of importance we are working on our second strategic goal: sustainable transport. To help illustrate this I’ve brought along a short video. We have a clear ambition: From 2039 forward we only aim to sell vehicles in North America, Europe and Japan that are emission-free in operation. By 2030 zero-emission vehicles should account for up to 60 percent of our global sales. And with buses we're going one step further: From 2030 forward we aim to only offer city buses in Europe that are fully electric.

An important prerequisite for being able to implement all of this, of course, is a suitable charging infrastructure. Emission-free transport can only become a reality with a comprehensive infrastructure. I'll get into that in a moment.

But, first, to our comprehensive product plans. We are currently building an emission-free product portfolio for the future, based on two energy sources: battery and hydrogen.

We've come a long way with the battery. In North America, our FCCC chassis and our Jouley school bus are already in series production – as is our heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz eActros truck and our eCitaro city bus in Europe. As you may know from your own experience, our eCitaro is now firmly established in sustainable public transport. In 2021 it accounted for almost half of the German market for electric city buses. In addition, our light FUSO eCanter truck has long been in daily use – in Asia as well as in Europe and North America.

So, we already have a broad portfolio of battery-electric vehicles – and we're going to expand it further over the course of this year. Some examples: Our heavy Freightliner eCascadia truck has already received a first major order for 800 units. Our disposal specialist, the Mercedes-Benz eEconic, will launch in Europe in the coming months. In Latin America an electric bus chassis is on the way. And there will also be a new model of our FUSO eCanter.

As I said, we'll introduce all of that this year. And that's not nearly the end of it. Our portfolio of zero-emission vehicles will continue to grow over the next few years. In 2023, for example, we’ll add our medium-duty Freightliner eM2 truck. Also in 2023 comes our eCitaro Range Extender, which has an additional fuel cell system. With that our zero-emission city bus has a range of 400 kilometers.

Our Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul is planned for 2024. The long-distance version of our current eActros will have a range of around 500 kilometers. The eActros LongHaul will be our star at this year's IAA Commercial Vehicles trade show. In September we will present our all-electric tractor to the general public for the first time.

As you can see, we are developing an extensive portfolio of battery-powered vehicles. That’s because our customers have very different transport tasks to meet – and they need different vehicles to do so.

News on our battery strategy has been announced in the past month: We acquired a stake of about ten percent in Manz AG, a high-tech mechanical engineering company based in Reutlingen near Stuttgart. The goal of this strategic partnership is to develop innovative battery technologies and the associated production processes for trucks and buses. In a first step, working together with Manz, we will set up a pilot line for the production of lithium-ion battery cells and for the assembly of batteries. This is planned for our Mannheim site, which is our competence center for battery technologies.

At Daimler Truck, however, we are convinced that trucks and buses will not be exclusively powered by batteries in the future. They will also be powered by fuel cells. To be more precise: by hydrogen-based fuel cells. For the energy transition to succeed, Europe must be able to import, transport and store green energy. And the medium that makes this possible is hydrogen. So, Europe must use hydrogen on a large scale for its economy – and our industry will therefore also use hydrogen for trucks and buses.

In parallel with battery drives, at Daimler Truck we are also developing fuel cell drives. We are already intensively testing our fuel cell truck on public roads. The first test fleets will be launched in the middle of the decade. Our fuel cell truck is scheduled to go into series production in the second half of this decade. With its two hydrogen tanks it will have a range of 1,000 kilometers.

One thing is important to know: The fuel cell system for this vehicle will come from our cellcentric joint venture. cellcentric will put one of the largest European production facilities for fuel cells into operation by 2026 in Weilheim, in the Stuttgart area. A total of 800 people are to be employed there, and 450 new jobs are to be created.

This clearly shows that the sustainable transformation of our economy is not only rich in challenges – it is also rich in opportunities. I am therefore very confident: Should Germany and Europe move resolutely forward with the transformation, jobs and prosperity can be secured.

As said before, however, regarding the emission-free transport of the future one thing is crucial: In addition to the right vehicles, a functioning mass market must have the right charging infrastructure. In order to create a suitable infrastructure as quickly as possible, we are in intensive talks with government representatives and energy companies.

And we are also helping to launch pioneering pilot projects ourselves, with a number of strategic partnerships. To support battery-electric vehicles in long-distance transport, we want to set up a European high-performance charging network together with the Volvo Group and TRATON Group. When it comes to infrastructure for fleet operators, we are cooperating with Siemens Smart Infrastructure and the energy supplier ENGIE. In North America we are working with Power Electronics, a leading provider of high-tech energy storage, on charging stations.

We also have an entire range of initiatives associated with hydrogen. We have signed agreements with the energy groups BP, Shell and TotalEnergies for the construction of hydrogen filling stations. In total, more than 300 filling stations are set to be built in Europe by 2030. We also took a stake in H2 Mobility Germany, an operator of hydrogen filling stations.

Finally, we are planning a joint venture with NextEra Energy Resources and BlackRock Renewable Power. The aim here is to set up a nationwide infrastructure in the U.S. - for both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

As you can see from that long list: In the transformation of our business, we consciously use partnerships as a strategic lever. And not just for infrastructure projects. Because through partnerships we can accelerate our transformation and, at the same time, share the necessary investments among several parties.

And that brings me to the end of my remarks. Dear shareholders, Daimler Truck, your company, is already one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses with strong teams, brands and technologies around the world. And we will continue to gain strength. Or as I said at the beginning of my remarks: Our batteries are fully charged – and we will now fully use this energy. And I’m convinced everyone will benefit: our customers, our employees, and, of course, you, our shareholders.

In more normal times that would be my final word. However, these times are anything but normal. So, I'd like to add one or two more thoughts. The war against Ukraine is dominating public debate. And it should.

But what’s also true is that the transformation of our economy -- in particular the combined effort to combat climate change -- have not become any less important since February 24th of this year. And no less urgent. We must therefore not play one off against the other. The need to jointly act against climate change remains urgent. We also have no time to lose here.

That means: we must tackle both challenges at the same time – and even reconcile them if possible. In concrete terms, if we are now reorganizing Europe's energy supply in order to become independent of Russia, we should also strengthen green energies -- at the same time. Designing new liquid gas terminals in such a way that we can later also use them for hydrogen is just one example.

And there is another issue that is important to all of us: The future of globalization. Globalization is currently being questioned from various sides. I warn against simply accepting this. Open borders, the unhindered exchange of goods and a global division of labor have brought great prosperity to the world's population in recent years and decades.

We must preserve those achievements. We at Daimler Truck are committed to global cooperation every single day. We do so within our worldwide organization, where borders and nationalities simply do not matter. And we do this in our work. Our motto is: For all who keep the world moving – and we are very proud of that.

Thank you very much!