kscarbel2

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/45925-mack-trucks-presents-bulldog-convoy-in-the-arctic/?tab=comments#comment-338484

Historical Brochures: https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/historical-brochures.html#ChevyTrucks

The CX was not designed to install the EE9 V-8. Not enough clearance. CX не был конструирован для того чтобы установить и9 V-8. Не хватает зазора.

Hackett vows closer ties with Ford dealers Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 18, 2018 Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Hackett has promised to be more visible and accessible to dealers after spending much of his first year consumed with getting the automaker in better shape. He made the comments to about 130 of Ford's top U.S. dealers during a meeting in Orlando that largely focused on the company's plan to remove all sedans from its lineup — a decision that caught many of them off guard when it was revealed in April. Hackett said he wished he could have met with more dealers sooner and explained that his time since being named CEO in May 2017 was focused on developing a plan to improve Ford's operational fitness, according to people who were in the room. He promised to attend an October dealer gathering in Las Vegas and in recent weeks has met with dealers in Houston, California and other areas of the country. The Orlando meeting, which dealers and company officials say was positive, included significant discussion about the plan to eliminate sedans in favor of more lucrative utility vehicles. Ford has said it's aiming for the industry's freshest lineup by 2020, with pickups, vans and utilities representing roughly 90 percent of its volume. The only cars remaining are the Mustang and upcoming Focus Active wagon. Ford showed dealers the new products that will replace those sedans. They saw video renderings of a small off-road SUV as well as a battery electric crossover tentatively called the Mach 1, as well as physical prototypes of the next-generation Escape, Explorer, Lincoln Corsair and a Continental with suicide doors, according to those in the room. "When you have a decision this big, there's going to be some concern," Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, told Automotive News. "We understand that, but we're working real hard and the vast, vast majority of dealers are solidly behind what we're doing." How Ford announced the sedan decision — as part of its first-quarter earnings call with no prior input from its dealer council — was a point of contention for some. Ford kept dealers in the dark, LaNeve said, because it enters a quiet period before its earnings when it doesn't discuss decisions that could impact the stock price. Some asked Ford to consider keeping the Fusion name, an idea they said the company seemed receptive to, potentially as a crossover-styled vehicle after 2021. Still others asked for assurances that they wouldn't cede entry-level vehicle sales to rival brands. "Any brand that you've spent hundreds of millions of development, you've got to keep it," said Rhett Ricart, CEO of Ricart Automotive Group in Groveport, Ohio, and a Ford dealer council member. "It's a pretty damn great car. Maybe that's what's so frustrating. But they might surprise you — have a Fusion that's more competitive or is maybe a different type of layout." Since the April 25 sedan announcement, Ford has worked to address concerns. LaNeve said he hosted roughly 20 conference calls on April 26 with dealers from all of Ford's U.S. regions. Jim Farley, Ford's vice president of global markets, gave media interviews explaining Ford intended to reinvent sedans with a different silhouette, not kill them. The Orlando meeting in late May was an annual gathering of high-volume and award-winning retailers known as One Ford Elite. Hackett, Farley and LaNeve were joined by Joe Hinrichs, Ford's vice president of global operations, and Lincoln President Joy Falotico. Ricart said Hackett spoke "deeply and emotionally" and was right to focus on larger corporate issues before turning his attention to Ford's retail network. Ricart said there are always opportunities to communicate better but noted that it's an area where Ford traditionally receives leading scores on an annual survey by the National Automobile Dealers Association.

How aerospace could be a key to GM's future in fuel cells Michael Wayland, Automotive News / June 18, 2018 GM has entered an exclusive deal with Liebherr-Aerospace to develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered auxiliary power unit for aircraft applications. DETROIT — How does an automaker cover the cost of developing next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology without piling hundreds or thousands of dollars onto the cost of today's cars and trucks? For General Motors, the answer is to pursue nonautomotive partnerships and commercial revenue opportunities ahead of offering the long-promised technology to consumers. The latest example: an exclusive deal with Liebherr-Aerospace of France to develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered auxiliary power unit for aircraft applications. An auxiliary power unit typically powers an aircraft's lighting, air conditioning, backup systems and other auxiliary functions. The deal marks what's expected to be the automaker's first major foray into aerospace since it sold its Hughes Aircraft operation two decades ago. It calls for the companies to mutually explore opportunities to leverage Liebherr's strong position as a supplier of on-board aircraft systems with GM's fuel cell technology. "It's all part of our strategy to evolve the technology rapidly to get it reduced in costs so it can be more suitable for a range of applications in the automotive space," Charlie Freese, executive director of GM global fuel cell business, told Automotive News. The aircraft APUs, which are currently powered by gas-turbine engines, are an "introduction point" to other fuel cell applications in aerospace and related fields, Freese said. He said GM "has started some discussions" with aircraft manufacturers, but declined to discuss the talks or details of the company's agreement with Liebherr, citing a nondisclosure agreement. Affordability question The aerospace work at GM represents a potential, if partial, answer to the quandary facing all automakers as they push forward on costly r&d work that could take years to pay off in the consumer marketplace. Emissions controls, fuel-saving systems, safety components and complex infotainment systems are already testing the limits of vehicle affordability, making it harder for automakers to shift costs of alternative powertrain development to new-car buyers. Such initiatives are especially important as GM and other automakers face the prospect of having to pass tariff costs down to their customers as relations with key trading partners fray. "Clearly, we want to make sure that we maintain affordability in vehicles," GM CEO Mary Barra said last week ahead of the company's annual shareholders meeting in Detroit, speaking on the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The moves also reflect GM's vigorous defense of its "fortress" balance sheet, a hallmark of the company's strategy after its 2009 emergence from bankruptcy. The financial discipline enforced since then by leaders of the finance team has led GM to quit many unprofitable operations and is expected to continue under the leadership of Dhivya Suryadevara, who takes over as CFO Sept. 1, succeeding Chuck Stevens, who is retiring after 40 years at GM. 'Nice revenue path' GM sees the institutional market and partnerships as a particularly attractive route to commercializing fuel cells. The Liebherr deal follows GM's launch of a defense unit focused on military applications for fuel cells, and its agreement last year to produce fuel cell systems for automotive use through a 50-50 joint venture with Honda Motor Co. around 2020. Such tie-ups and revenue opportunities allow GM to cut costs and scale up volume more rapidly than relying on consumers to embrace, and pay for, the new technology. "I think it's a great idea," said Morningstar analyst David Whiston. "There's no reason they can't do something like that. The military can be a nice revenue path … which is very small today." GM is taking similar approaches with its aggressive plans for all-electric and autonomous vehicles. This month, GM built on its alliance with Honda by announcing a new battery partnership that's expected to call for Honda to buy battery modules based on the next generation of GM's battery system. Building up economies of scale will be critical as GM plans to launch at least 20 EVs and fuel cell vehicles globally by 2023. For the development of self-driving vehicles, including an expected ride-hailing fleet in 2019, GM on May 31 announced a $2.25 billion investment from prominent tech investment firm SoftBank Vision Fund in its autonomous vehicle operations. 'All feasible' GM has been a major proponent of fuel cell technologies since the 1960s. For more than a decade, Freese said, the company has been developing fuel cell technology for aerospace, which is how the partnership with Liebherr-Aerospace began. Like battery EVs, fuel cell-powered vehicles operate on electricity and don't emit pollutants. But rather than storing electricity in a battery, they generate power through a chemical process involving hydrogen fuel, which emits only water vapor. Fuel cells also typically offer refueling times that are comparable to conventional fuels, though they face more serious infrastructure and cost challenges than battery EVs. "We saw a great opportunity here to exploit the advantages of a fuel cell," Freese said. Fuel cell systems can operate either in-flight or on the ground much more quietly and efficiently than current auxiliary power unit systems, he added. He said GM doesn't expect any technical roadblocks in implementing fuel cell auxiliary power units for airlines, but the two companies still need to co-develop the system to aerospace specifications and certification. He declined to discuss the time frame for deployment. "We've developed systems that have been tested in environments like this," Freese said. "We think that's all feasible. There is a lot of work that needs to be done." GM, according to Freese, sees adjacent opportunities even in the water produced by fuel cells — from humidifying the plane to assisting in flushing toilets and water supply.

A lot of people being thrown under the bus to protect one "untouchable" man.......Herr Piech.

Audi CEO Stadler arrested Reuters / June 18, 2018 FRANKFURT -- Munich prosecutors said that Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested on Monday because investigators saw the risk that he might seek to suppress evidence in connection with a diesel emissions probe. Volkswagen's supervisory board has nominated sales and marketing head Bram Schot, 56, as interim CEO at Audi. VW’s supervisory board plans to suspend Stadler. "As part of an investigation into diesel affairs and Audi engines, the Munich prosecutor's office executed an arrest warrant against Professor Rupert Stadler on June 18, 2018," the Munich prosecutor's office said. A judge in Germany has ordered that Stadler, 55, be remanded in custody, it said, to prevent him from obstructing or hindering the diesel investigation. The prosecutors' office last week widened its emissions-cheating probe against Audi to include Stadler among the suspects accused of fraud and false advertising. Volkswagen Group and Audi confirmed Stadler's arrest this morning, adding that the presumption of innocence applied to Stadler's case. Munich prosecutors and Stadler himself were not immediately available for comment. A spokesman for Porsche SE, the company that controls VW and Audi, said Stadler's arrest would be discussed at Monday's board meeting. VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the company's history and leading to a regulatory crackdown across the auto industry. The U.S. filed criminal charges against former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in May, but he is unlikely to face U.S. authorities because Germany does not extradite its nationals to countries outside the European Union. The Munich prosecutors said Stadler's arrest was not made at the behest of U.S. authorities. The executive was arrested at his home in Ingolstadt, in the early hours on Monday. The Munich public prosecutor's office said last week it was investigating 20 suspects, and that it had searched the apartment of Stadler and one other current board member. The second suspect is Bernd Martens, Audi's head of purchasing. Martens led a diesel task force at Audi, which was set up to coordinate the handling of the crisis with the parent company. In the U.S., Audi sales have been on a hot streak for more than eight years under the watch of Stadler, who became brand head in 2007. In May, the brand recorded its 103rd straight month of year-over-year sales increases.

Seriously, Detroit is an extremely dangerous city. It's speaks volumes about the state of the United States that such a dangerous place can exist within it.

Ford plots future in a relic of Detroit's past Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 17, 2018 DETROIT — Bill Ford was a child the first time he stepped through a bronze door into the marble-floored concourse of Michigan Central Station. The Fords were catching a train to California, and Bill was awestruck by the sea of travelers passing under the cavernous lobby's high arches and ornate chandeliers. "I remember walking in, just taking a look and going, "Wow," he said. Decades later, as the towering depot sat derelict and crumbling, it evoked a much different emotion. "I've seen Detroit at its best and at its worst," Ford, 61, said, "and one thing I hated was when the national media was writing about the decay of Detroit, the poster child for that was always the train station. That always really bothered me, because I remembered as a young boy when it was amazing. They kept using that as a metaphor for what happened in Detroit." Now, he's making Michigan Central a metaphor for what his company, and the city where his great-grandfather started it, could become. The automaker last week confirmed its purchase of the 1913 depot, which has marred Detroit's skyline since even before the first Ford Explorer arrived almost 30 years ago. Ford Motor plans to use the 18-story building to anchor a one-of-a-kind research and engineering campus in Detroit, where it envisions having thousands of workers developing autonomous and electric vehicles. It's paying for the project using money earmarked to overhaul its offices, and with the help of substantial tax incentives. Renovating the depot is estimated to take about four years. Ford plans to put around 2,500 employees into the depot and surrounding properties — it's amassing space for up to 5,000 people — and envisions using autonomous shuttles to ferry workers between the campus in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood and nearby cities such as Dearborn, the home of Ford's headquarters. "We're in a war for talent," Bill Ford said in an interview with Automotive News and affiliate Crain's Detroit Business. "And there will be no place in the country that anybody will be able to work that's a place like that. It's a very important branding thing for Ford. It's also important in terms of our intent. We wouldn't have done it if the cost didn't make sense." Community destination Ford Motor hopes the train station will be more attractive to in-demand talent than the cookie-cutter campuses of Silicon Valley or isolated suburban office parks. The company intends to rehabilitate the decrepit concourse into a community gathering spot that's open to the public — akin to San Francisco's Ferry Building, complete with restaurants and retail. Ford workers could be joined by supplier partners or software startups in the office space. And the company said it's considering residential space, potentially putting condos on the top floors. "I want this to be, and believe it will be, a really fun destination for people — both Detroiters and people coming in from outside of Detroit," Ford said. "It would be great if this was one of their first stops. It would be a great place to meet friends and family and then go from there." In addition to the train station, Ford bought a nearby low-rise building and plans to acquire other properties to create a campus totaling roughly 1.2 million square feet. Of that, Ford said three-quarters will be split equally among Ford and its partners, with the rest a mix of retail and residential space. Crain's Detroit Business has reported Ford is working to buy nearly 50 total properties in Corktown, many of which are empty lots and abandoned buildings. Bill Ford declined to divulge a price for the train station or how much it will cost to repair. (Its previous owner spent $8 million to replace its 1,100 broken windows and put in a freight elevator.) He said the project is being absorbed by an undisclosed amount of money the automaker set aside in 2016 to transform its Dearborn campus. Ford said the Dearborn renovation, which outside experts have estimated to cost $1.2 billion, will continue and the company's headquarters will remain in Dearborn, seven miles west. "We're spending no extra money than we already had in our forward budget," he said. Business case Some, including Ford shareholders, have questioned the business case for such a costly project while CEO Jim Hackett orders billions of dollars in cuts to improve the company's "operational fitness." Bill Ford said he thinks the effort will be well worth it. "We are again reinventing the future of transportation, just as we did 115 years ago," he said at his office in the automaker's 1950s-era headquarters known as the Glass House. "And that, to me, is going to be the power of this building. It won't just be a stand-alone, very beautiful building. It will very much be part of the fabric of the new transportation model. And our future at Ford will be largely invented there." 'What if?' Bill Ford first thought of buying the train station in 2017 as he was driving scouting out the Factory — a newly renovated brick building near the depot that now houses about 200 workers on Ford's electrified and autonomous vehicle teams. "I'd always had this vision that we would build the future of Ford Motor Co., particularly as it pertained to autonomy, in a city setting — because that's where these vehicles will be deployed and that's where we need to really try them out," he said. "And so, I would drive by the train station and I started asking myself: 'What if? Is this fantasy?' " It wasn't. Negotiations between Ford's real-estate arm and the depot's owner began in October and went smoothly, he said. The train station marks Bill Ford's third high-profile real-estate project in the region, following extensive renovations of Ford's historic Rouge complex and construction of Ford Field, a football stadium that brought the Detroit Lions back downtown after 27 years in suburban Pontiac. "This dwarfs them all, in my opinion, because of what it means for the future," Bill Ford said. "The future of mobility should be created in Detroit — and I believe it will be." .

Bob, this is the China market variant of the H62X, the JH62X. http://www.360che.com/news/180616/96799.html

There's no such thing as Bosch/Cummins common rail. The superb "XPI" high pressure common rail fuel injection system on ISG and ISX engines, and the entire Scania engine range, is design and produced by a joint venture between Cummins and Scania. The high pressure common rail fuel injection system used on Mercedes-Benz/Detroit Diesel engines is Bosch, and it's quite good. The medium duty ISB and ISC use Bosch-sourced common rail.

Ford's train depot purchase has ties to founding family's heritage Alexa St. John, Automotive News / June 14, 2018 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s purchase of a blighted former train depot in Detroit as the centerpiece of an urban technology campus carries symbolism that likely factored into the automaker's decision to undertake such an ambitious rehabilitation project. The depot, abandoned 30 years ago, is in a part of Detroit known as Corktown, which has ties to company founder Henry Ford's Irish heritage. Corktown is Detroit's oldest surviving Irish neighborhood, and thus a natural place for Ford Motor to play a role in the city's revitalization. Ford ancestry Most of Henry Ford's ancestors left Ireland in the early 1800s. Ford's grandfather, John Ford, and father, William Ford, were among the 1 million U.S. immigrants from Cork, Ireland, in 1847. Henry Ford, born in 1863 in what is now Dearborn, Mich., grew up with a curiosity for machines amid Detroit's industrial boom. Henry Ford's heritage influenced even his early automobile business decisions. He selected Cork as the site for the first purpose-built Ford factory outside the U.S. in 1917. Much of the Cork factory was dedicated to Ford tractor production. The last Model T ever built, Ford's most iconic contribution to the auto industry, came from the Cork factory's production line in the 1920s, along with the Model A, Model BF, Model Y, Prefect, Anglia, Escort, Cortina and Sierra. Though the company name has since officially changed from Henry Ford & Son, it still uses that moniker in Ireland — the only place in the world it does so. Ford also has the biggest network of dealers of any automotive manufacturer in Ireland, the company said in a statement, with 52 dealerships across the country. Bill Ford, Ford Motor executive chairman and a great-grandson of Henry Ford, celebrated the company's centennial in Ireland last year. "Ford has deep roots in Cork, not only through my family's historical connection, but also through the impact that the Ford factory has had as an engine for prosperity for the area over many decades," Bill Ford said in a statement during the family's travels to Ireland last April. Neighborhood Bill Ford spoke nostalgically of that connection last year, when Ford Motor revealed plans to put about 200 employees into a former hosiery factory in Corktown that it bought and renovated. More than 30 years after Ford closed its Cork factory in 1984, the company is re-emphasizing its cultural heritage, but this time in Detroit. "Henry Ford is synonymous with Detroit," former Detroit mayor Roman Gribbs once said. The train depot Ford bought, known as Michigan Central Station, opened in 1914, 11 years after Henry Ford started his automobile company. Both entities thrived in parallel for much of the 20th century, though Ford's success in making cars more accessible to people contributed to the eventual decline of rail travel and the station's closure. The train station isn't the only Corktown property in which Ford has expressed interest. It has promised to reveal its plans for the area in more detail next week. The family that had owned the depot since 1995 said on Monday that it began having discussions with Ford in October. Ford, whose headquarters in Dearborn are seven miles west of the depot, has many ties to Detroit that go far beyond Corktown. Henry Ford's Piquette Avenue Plant, known as the birthplace of the Model T, is on the city's east side. Detroit's Renaissance Center, a series of 1970s office towers fronting the Detroit River that now house General Motors' headquarters, was conceived by Henry Ford's grandson, Henry Ford II, and financed largely by Ford Motor.

Senate Bill Aims to Repeal Federal Excise Tax on Heavy-Duty Trucks and Trailers David Cullen, Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) / June 13, 2018 A bill introduced in the Senate on June 12 is the latest attempt to repeal the12% federal excise tax (FET) on the sale of heavy-duty trucks and trailers. The FET-- originally imposed in 1917 to help finance U.S. military operations in World War I-- has grown steadily over the years. It currently tacks $12,000 to $22,000 onto the price of a new heavy-duty truck, according to the American Truck Dealers division of the National Automobile Dealers Association. “This burdensome tax creates excessive costs that are passed on to truckers, who play an essential role in maintaining our nation’s economy,” said Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), who is the sponsor of the new bill (designated S. 3052), which seeks to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. “I was happy to introduce legislation to repeal it.” ATD noted in a statement supporting the Senate bill that it is similar in scope to the Heavy Truck, Tractor and Trailer Retail Federal Excise Tax Repeal Act (H.R. 2946), introduced by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) in June 2017, which ATD also supports. The House bill currently has 17 bipartisan cosponsors. The dealer association said that from June 20-21, it will host its annual ATD Legislative Fly-In to Capitol Hill to rally bipartisan support for S. 3052 and H.R. 2946. “It is the highest excise tax Congress levies on a percentage basis on any product, including alcohol and tobacco,” said ATD Chairwoman Jodie Teuton, vice president of Kenworth of Louisiana and Hino of Baton Rouge. “It’s time for Congress to repeal this tax, and we thank Sen. Gardner for his leadership on this important issue.” ATD noted that other supporter of FET repeal include Bendix Commercial Vehicles, Daimler Trucks North America, Mack Trucks, National Trailer Dealers Association, Navistar, NTEA, Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association, Truck Renting and Leasing Association, Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association, and Volvo Trucks North America.

Ford says fuel cell venture with Daimler will close Reuters / June 13, 2018 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. and Daimler AG are winding down a joint venture formed to develop automotive fuel cell technology, Ford said on Wednesday, as both companies plan to take their respective fuel cell technology development in-house. The Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp venture, based in Burnaby, British Columbia, will close this summer, Ford said in response to an inquiry by Reuters. Despite years of research and investment by major automakers and startups, vehicles powered by fuel cells remain a tiny niche in the global vehicle market. Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are collaborating on fuel cell development, and Toyota Motor Corp. is ramping up efforts to mass-produce fuel cell stacks. Earlier this week, Ballard Power Systems Inc. extended a contract with Volkswagen AG's Audi unit to work on fuel cell development. Ford "will take fuel cell stack development in-house, as well as leverage the supply base, and close Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp. by summer 2018," the company said. "Both companies will continue to explore ways to cooperate on developing fuel cell stack modules." Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche earlier this year indicated that the German automaker was shifting its focus toward battery-electric vehicles. The venture employed about 200 people, according to its website.

Germany orders Daimler to recall 774,000 diesels in Europe Bloomberg / June 11, 2018 Daimler AG was ordered to recall 774,000 vehicles in Europe after two meetings with Germany’s top regulator failed to allay concerns about irregularities in the Mercedes-Benz maker’s diesel emissions. The carmaker will upgrade engine software in Vito vans as well as the GLC SUV and C-Class sedan, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said Monday in a statement from Berlin, after meeting with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche for a second time in two weeks. The government is ordering “an immediate formal recall because of prohibited shutoff devices,” Scheuer said. While a setback for a company that’s steadfastly denied cheating on diesel emissions, the software-focused recall means Daimler escaped more costly measures such as fines or a hardware fix. Speaking with reporters after the announcement, Zetsche said talks with the government had been “constructive.” Government pressure Germany has ratcheted up pressure on Daimler to specify models and the number of vehicles that needed recalling to adjust their exhaust systems, criticizing the company’s piecemeal response to concerns about excessive pollution from its diesel vehicles. The recall comes nearly three years after Volkswagen AG’s sweeping emissions violations. Unlike VW, which admitted duping official emissions tests and faces costs of some 26 billion euros ($31 billion) in fines, buybacks and recalls globally, Daimler has rejected wrongdoing. As the diesel fallout rumbles on, German prosecutors also on Monday named Rupert Stadler, head of VW’s Audi unit, a suspect in the cheating scandal. Unapproved functions Germany’s automotive regulator KBA found five unapproved software functions in Daimler’s Euro 6 diesel engines, affecting as many as 1 million vehicles in Germany, Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday. This follows the KBA instructing the carmaker in May to recall 4,923 Vito vans worldwide that don’t comply with regulations. Daimler at the time said it would go to court if necessary to overturn the order. The company said Monday it’s considering an appeal. The models aren’t currently available in the U.S., according to the brand’s U.S. site. “We don’t see any evidence that Daimler was designing software to deliberately cheat on emission testing,” said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst with Evercore ISI in London, who estimated the cost to be less than 100 million euros. “With this recall, fines are off the table.” Daimler already voluntarily recalled some 3 million vehicles in the EU last year, alongside similar moves by VW and BMW, for software updates to improve emissions performance. Liberal interpretations of loose European Union rules on car emissions, ultimately resulting in many cities failing EU pollution limits, have led to a number of spats between authorities and carmakers. Daimler relies on diesel vehicles for profit and to lower the carbon-dioxide output of its vehicles to meet environmental regulations. Threat of fine Scheuer had threatened the carmaker with as much as 3.75 billion euros in penalties related to diesel-engine emissions irregularities, Spiegel magazine reported following Zetsche’s earlier meeting. For context, during previous standoffs on diesel practices, the ministry failed to make much headway on holding carmakers accountable. In 2016, Opel, then owned by General Motors Co., didn’t end up facing sanctions after then-Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt raised doubts about the legality of devices used in its engine software. The same year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV snubbed Dobrindt’s request for a meeting to discuss emissions. The country’s automotive industry has been under intense scrutiny since Volkswagen revealed in September 2015 it had rigged as many as 11 million diesel-powered cars to cheat on official emissions tests. Municipalities, battling excessive levels of smog-inducing nitrogen oxide mainly produced by diesel vehicles, have been considering bans. Hamburg made the first move last month with restrictions on two streets. Mercedes recalled more than 3 million cars across Europe almost a year ago for a software patch for their emissions systems.

When you asked your local Mack brand distributor for the name of their regional sales, service or parts representative (whoever you seek), what was their response?

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44430-new-common-rail-mp8/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-330572

2019 Ram launch slows to a trickle Larry Vellequette, Automotive News / June 11, 2018 Delayed EPA approval for key versions of the redesigned Ram 1500 could spoil the brand's plan to flood the market with old and new pickups this year and possibly overtake the Chevrolet Silverado in sales. Nearly five months after the start of production of the 2019 Ram 1500 — known as the DT — the only models EPA-certified for sale are two- and four-wheel-drive versions equipped with the standard 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. DT model Ram 1500s began arriving at U.S. dealerships in the second half of March, but dealers haven't yet received the 3.6-liter V-6 version or the 5.7-liter V-8 with an optional 48-volt belt-start generator. The belt-start generator, a fuel-saving mild-hybrid device, is standard with the V-6. "I have customers looking for them and asking about them every week," said one Ram dealer in Michigan. It's unclear why 2019 Rams with belt-start generators are not available. The delay also could result from the EPA being far more stringent with automakers in its testing in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. FCA and the EPA remain locked in litigation over the automaker's previous use of its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which resulted in delayed certification for the 2017 and 2018 EcoDiesel Ram 1500s. Still, after a high-profile launch at this year's Detroit auto show, the slow rollout of 2019 Ram 1500s appears to be suppressing the pickups' sales. The lack of a V-6 this long after launch is a problem. In the old truck, the V-6 represented about 20 percent of sales. Though Ram pickup sales were up 4.3 percent in May compared with 2017, it was the first monthly sales increase this year. Year to date, sales are down 8.4 percent. However, FCA US said retail sales of the Ram 1500 pickup were up 18 percent in May to 27,011. Last year, Ram appeared to hatch a plan to knock the Silverado out of the No. 2 spot in the full-size pickup segment in 2018 by continuing to build the previous-version DS, backed by discounts — while ramping up production of the new Ram 1500. But while Ram sales are off this year, Ford's F series, the top seller, is up 5.7 percent; Silverado sales are estimated to have increased 11 percent. This time a year ago, Ram and Silverado were running almost neck and neck. Like Ford and General Motors, FCA reports sales of its half-ton light-duty pickups together with its heavy-duty three-quarter and one-ton pickups and normally does not differentiate model-level retail sales. Its monthly totals also do notbreak down sales by DS or DT versions. With the DS Ram still in production, FCA has been able to wage an incentive war with GM and Ford, beginning last month after a fire at a magnesium supplier in Michigan interrupted Ford F-150 production for a short period. In Texas, for example, Ram was advertising $4,000 in bonus cash on top of $13,500 in savings on a 2018 Ram 1500 Lone Star Silver crew cab. Through May, average incentives of $6,578 per vehicle are 11 percent higher than in the first five months of 2017, according to Motor Intelligence, citing Autodata Corp. data. But Motor Intelligence said that average factory incentives for Ram pickups in May had dropped to their lowest level since January. Dealers say interest in the redesigned Ram 1500 remains strong, even if customers can't yet buy or order one equipped with the more fuel-efficient 3.6-liter V-6 engine. Indeed, according to suppliers, FCA's Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, where the redesigned Ram 1500 is built, is scheduled to operate six days per week through Sept. 4, including two scheduled Sunday operations in July and scheduled holiday shifts on Independence Day and Labor Day.

Scania Group Press Release / June 8, 2018 The bright yellow Scania Citywide gas buses in the Arctic city of Akureyri are powered by methane gas from a nearby landfill site. Learn how the buses help the local community, while also lowering their carbon footprint and their use on fossil fuels. .

Volvo Trucks Press Release / June 7, 2018 . . . . .

Freightliner Trucks Press Release / June 8, 2018 . . . .

99 percent of energy production in Norway comes from clean hydropower.

This suspension has a reasonably good ride.