During the first six months of 2026, VDL Groep saw a slight increase in turnover, while its net result showed clear growth. The turnover of the Bus & Coach division how ever decreased by 2% to EUR 219 million. The order book value for VDL Groep has risen sharply. Orders for the Bus & Coach division amounts to EUR 571 million. For the second halve of this year VDL Groep expects growth to continue.
VDL states that for the Bus and Coach division the first half of 2026 involved a continued focus on the sales and production of the two complementary bus brands, Van Hool and VDL, within the new VDL Bus Group organisation. The new VDL Futura 3 has been delivered to customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland, Poland and Spain. The right-hand drive version of the VDL Futura 3 will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2026. According to the VDL Groep the Bus and Coach division is operating at a loss, "because the factories are facing a shortfall in revenue due to cheaper products from other parts of the world being sold in Europe". The company does not expect any growth for VDL Bus and Coach this year. Besides the Bus and Coach division, VDL Groep is active in various growth markets: hightech, infratech, foodtech, energy and defence. After the first six months of 2026, the combined
annual turnover amounted to EUR 2.077 billion, a rise of 3% compared to 2025 (EUR 2.017 billion). After the first two quarters of 2026, the net result is EUR 59 million, a rise of 11% (2025: EUR 53 million). The order book value rose by 27% in 2026, from EUR 1.855 billion at the start of the year to EUR 2.335 billion in week 35. Since the start of 2026, the number of employees has remained stable at around 14,000. VDL Groep President and CEO Willem van der Leegte says: “The fact that, as expected, we have succeeded in improving our turnover and results is encouraging. We expect to continue growing in the second half of the year, driven primarily by our hightech and defence activities. We are also well positioned in food, energy and infratech. This forecast is supported by the strong underlying trend in our order book.”