STOCKHOLM, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Truck group AB Volvo gave further details on Tuesday of its exposure to asbestos-related legal claims, with a company official telling Reuters about 200 were directed against a U.S. subsidiary.
Volvo spokesman Marten Wikforss said most of the cases were levelled against the group's American unit, Mack Trucks.
"There are a couple of hundred which are directed against Mack and a few dozen against Volvo Trucks. It is simply in proportion to how long we have been active in the market," he added.
He did not elaborate on how the exposure manifested itself or what the potential financial impact would be.
Earlier this month shares in Swedish engineering companies Alfa Laval , Sandvik , Atlas Copco and Trelleborg dived after they revealed asbestos lawsuits against them, although they said these were covered by insurance and the sums involved were insignificant.
Analysts said the announcements touched off fears inspired by engineering group ABB which has made $940 million in asbestos-related provisions.
Several large European insurers have also been hit by asbestos-related claims.
At the time of Volvo Truck's quarterly report at the end of October Chief Executive Leif Johansson said that the number of cases amounted to "a few hundred" and the average cost for the payout of claims lay at a few hundred thousand Swedish crowns per case.
"The total numbers have stayed more or less constant. There has been no noticeable increase," Wilkforss told Reuters on Tuesday.
Wilkforss did not want to give specific details about the total number of plaintiffs laying claims against Volvo.
"We don't have class actions aimed against us," he said
Shares in Volvo fell two percent on Tuesday on a weaker Swedish market whose blue-chip OMX index fell 2.1 percent.