Karin Rådström, chief executive of Daimler Truck, has been elected Chair of the Commercial Vehicle Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), effective Jan. 1, 2026, the industry body said.
Rådström will succeed Christian Levin, chief executive of Traton Group and president and CEO of Scania, who steps down at the end of the year. The appointment keeps leadership of ACEA’s commercial vehicle arm in Swedish-German hands.
ACEA said the association as a whole will continue to be led by Ola Källenius, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz, who was re-elected in December to serve another term as ACEA President in 2026, following his presidency in 2025.
The ACEA Commercial Vehicle Board represents manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks and buses and includes senior executives from companies such as DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ford Trucks, Iveco Group, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania Group, and Volvo Group.
In a statement, Rådström said her focus would be on addressing challenges facing the sector as it transitions toward zero-emission transport. “We fully support the EU’s goal to decarbonise transport,” she said, noting that manufacturers already offer a wide range of zero-emission trucks and buses in series production.
“But substantial market uptake will only happen when our customers can operate zero-emission vehicles as seamlessly and profitably as conventional vehicles today,” Rådström added, pointing to the need for faster rollout of charging and hydrogen infrastructure.
She called for an accelerated review of the EU’s heavy-duty vehicle CO2 legislation. “That’s why we need an accelerated review of the heavy-duty vehicle CO2 legislation no later than mid-2026,” she said. “The Commission must take urgent action now to prevent manufacturers from having to pay penalties while the essential enabling conditions are simply not in place.”
Rådström said regulatory obligations on manufacturers should be aligned with the development of infrastructure and policy measures that support viable business cases for fleet operators, including CO2-based road charges across EU member states.
Looking ahead, she said the coming year would be critical for the sector. “2026 has to be the year Europe turns challenges into progress, delivering pragmatic solutions that protect competitiveness while driving decarbonisation,” Rådström said, adding that Europe must become a strong home market for zero-emission commercial vehicle technologies.