STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- Swedish truck maker Scania reported a 36.9 percent rise in third quarter net earnings Monday, which it attributed to buoyant sales.

Net profit in the July-September period came to 1.75 billion kronor (190.93 million euros, 275 million dollars), the company said.
Sales in the third quarter rose 20.6 percent to 19.91 billion kronor, easily beating market expectations for 18.62 billion kronor.
Scania is now forecasting average annual sales growth of 10 percent and an operating margin of 12-15 percent between 2007 and 2009.
The group delivered 16,295 heavy-duty trucks in the third quarter, a gain of 8.9 percent over third quarter 2006.
Deliveries over the first nine months of the year rose 15 percent to 53,873 and Scania for the full year hopes to deliver 75,000 vehicles.
""Scania's production units are operating at a very high level of capacity utilization after the sharp increase in the production rate during 2007,"" said Scania Chief Executive Leif Oestling.
""By the end of 2009, Scania will have gradually boosted its technical production capacity to 100,000 vehicles per year. In a longer perspective, Scania can increase its capacity to some 130,000-140,000 vehicles.""
Scania shares were showing a loss of 0.30 percent at 165.50 kronor in early afternoon trading on an overall market that was 0.40 percent stronger.