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Scania Group Press Release / May 22, 2017 Scania France has announced its first sale of an ethanol-powered truck to Transports NJS Faramia, a specialist in temperature-controlled transport. Scania is presently the only manufacturer to offer ethanol-powered heavy vehicles. With ED95, carbon emissions can be reduced by up to 90 percent. The heavy vehicle grade ED95 fuel was granted favourable taxation by the French Government earlier this year and hauliers can also benefit from accelerated depreciation of their vehicles. Additionally, ethanol qualifies for the highest environmental level in the French Crit’Air air quality vehicle certification scheme, which is in force in major French cities. Forerunner in sustainable transport NJS Faramia will operate the Scania P 280 truck for temperature-controlled food distribution in the Marseille area. The transport company is a forerunner in alternative sustainable transportation solutions and has previously taken Scania gas-powered trucks in operation as well as low-energy refrigeration systems. “Our aim is to offer all our customers the best quality of service. Economic efficiency, social equity and environmental responsibility are objectives which engage NJS Faramia in developing sustainable transport and long-term customer satisfaction,” says Managing Director Victor Faramia. The ED95 fuel will be produced from pomace – grape residue after pressing – from local wineries. The pomace will be collected and processed by Union des distilleries de la méditerranée in Vauvert, near Montpellier. .

Volvo Trucks Press Release / May 21, 2017 Boat 8 – built at Persico Marine in Bergamo, Italy – is now complete, and is heading to the Boatyard in Lisbon, Portugal to be fitted out. It's a delicate operation, with the boat being delivered via both road and sea. .

U.S. Dept. of Defense / May 15, 2017 Navistar Defense LLC, Lisle, Illinois, was awarded an $18,778,845 firm-fixed-price foreign military sales (Iraq) contract for 115 medium tactical vehicles (https://www.navistardefense.com/NavistarDefense/vehicles/7000_mv/7000_mv). One bid was solicited and one bid received. Work will be performed in West Point, Mississippi; Ooltewah, Tennessee; and Marion Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 13, 2018. Fiscal 2015 other funds in the amount of $18,778,845 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-17-C-0090). .

Car & Driver / May 22, 2017 When semi-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles collide, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says, mandatory under-ride guards on the sides of tractor-trailer rigs could save lives. The trucking industry, though, says a better solution would be to hasten the rollout of advanced safety technology. This spring, IIHS has been dramatizing its argument by crashing mid-size cars at 35 mph into the center of a 53-foot-long dry van trailer. It says these crash tests show that a well-built guard on the side of a semi-trailer can prevent roof-peeling car wrecks that are often fatal. “Our tests and research show that side under-ride guards have the potential to save lives,” said David Zuby, the Institute’s executive vice president and chief research officer, in a press release. “We think a mandate for side under-ride guards on large trucks has merit, especially as crash deaths continue to rise on our roads.” Federal law requires large trucks to have rear under-ride guards, but side guards are not mandated nationwide. Some cities, including Boston, New York, and Seattle, require side guards on city-owned and -contracted trucks. The IIHS—funded by the auto insurance industry—and its research arm, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), have been studying under-ride crashes for decades and have been crash-testing and rating rear under-ride guard protection on trailers from the biggest manufacturers since 2011. The tests this spring, though, marked the first time that IIHS had evaluated under-ride protection for side collisions. One test included a side guard called an AngelWing from a company called AirFlow Deflector, which was featuring IIHS’s test results prominently on its website. An IIHS spokesman said the group does not have a business relationship with AirFlow Deflector. The Institute said it tested AngelWing because it’s the only product it is aware of that trucking companies can buy that offers this protection. In another IIHS test, the trailer had a fiberglass side skirt that is designed only to improve a truck’s aerodynamics, not to prevent a car from sliding beneath the trailer. Results with that device were “dramatically different,” the IIHS said. As seen in the image at the top of this story, part of the car’s roof was sheared off, and its occupants likely would have suffered fatal injuries, the group said. Only the AngelWing guard prevented a mid-size car from going underneath the trailer (photo below). That under-ride guard also allowed the car’s airbags and seatbelt to properly restrain the test dummy in the driver’s seat. Its maker says the guard also has fuel-saving aerodynamic benefits that help offset the cost. This type of crash, with a car hitting the side of a trailer, was at the heart of a high-profile accident involving Tesla’s Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system. Ohio native Joshua D. Brown was killed when his 2015 Model S, in self-driving Autopilot mode, failed to activate its automated emergency braking system and ran into and under the side of a tractor-trailer rig. Tesla said afterward that the Autopilot system failed to recognize the white side of the truck against a background of bright sunlight. There were 1542 deaths from crashes involving both passenger cars and tractor-trailers in 2015, according to the most recent federal data as analyzed by the IIHS. Of those, 301 fatalities involved a vehicle hitting the side of the trailer, which was down slightly from 308 in 2014. There were 35,022 traffic deaths in total that same year. The American Trucking Associations (ATA), a group representing the trucking industry, said in an emailed statement that focusing on crash prevention, not adding side guards to tractor-trailers, is the best course for preventing under-ride deaths. “Side under-ride crash protection has several complicating factors—engineering tradeoffs involving weight, strength, and effectiveness—that have prevented a consensus around adopting side under-ride guards,” the ATA statement read. The group said side under-ride guards “would add significant weight and require stiffer trailers” that can develop cracks and wear out sooner, causing other safety issues. It said a wider deployment of advanced safety technologies, such as automated emergency braking and forward-collision-warning systems, would be their pick to help prevent under-ride crashes. Rear under-ride guards, essentially strong bars, are required on most tractor-trailers. They are sometimes referred to as Mansfield bars because of their supposed connection to Hollywood starlet Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield was killed near New Orleans in June 1967 when her 1966 Buick Electra 225 crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer, killing her and two other front-seat passengers. Three children in the back seat escaped with minor injuries. But like other lore surrounding Mansfield’s untimely death, it’s not completely true: Today’s Mansfield bar was not a direct result of the fatal wreck. Requirements for under-ride guards on medium and heavy trucks were first issued in 1953, long before the accident that killed the actress. NHTSA’s regulatory predecessor called for an updated standard in 1967, but it was not until 1998 that the federal standard that applies to semi-trailers was updated and strengthened. .

How Silicon Valley Spurred Bill Ford Jr. to Replace His CEO Car & Driver / May 22, 2017 Silicon Valley has played an outsize role in shaping Bill Ford Jr.’s thinking about the future of the auto industry. Although he didn’t know it at the time, two experiences in recent years left signature impressions that would ultimately lead to this weekend’s shakeup at the Ford Motor Company. The first came toward the end of his tenure as a member of the eBay board of directors, which gave Ford a vantage point into a business culture dramatically different than the one he understood in Detroit. As he watched companies like Tesla Motors and Google gain a foothold on the future, he grasped the magnitude of the changes legacy automakers needed to make to survive, including working with traditional competitors. “The whole ‘frenemy’ thing in Silicon Valley, that was something very foreign to us,” he told an audience at a Ford Trends conference in September 2016. “It was clear for us in the auto industry who your competitors were. Spending time in the Valley, it was a much more gray situation.” Ford’s 10-year tenure with eBay so impressed him that he brought the Ford Motor Company’s own board of directors to Silicon Valley for a visit in February 2016. During meetings with leaders from Bay Area companies, he realized one of the automaker’s board members, Jim Hackett, was already familiar with the sweeping cultural shift Ford wanted to inject into his own company. “Every one of them were walking right up to Jim, and they gave him a hug and said, ‘I didn’t know you were on this board,’ ” Ford recalled in a media conference Monday. “The leaders out there said, ‘My gosh, he’s one of the real original thinkers that we know, and you guys are really lucky to have him on your board.’ ” One experience taught him that seismic changes were ahead. The other taught him that he had a potential answer for them nearby. Within weeks of those meetings, Ford appointed Hackett to head Ford Smart Mobility, a new subsidiary within the company focusing on future-minded innovations. On Monday, Ford promoted Hackett to a more prominent role, announcing he would succeed the ousted Mark Fields as the Ford Motor Company’s new CEO. In his new role, Hackett will be charged with boosting a stock price that has tumbled roughly 32 percent over the past three years amid Wall Street concerns that the company has lost market share and lagged competitors. Even as he seeks short-term solutions to boost a flagging stock price, Hackett is also charged with ensuring Ford’s preparations for a future based more on broad mobility solutions and less on personal car ownership stay on target. There were concerns the company had fallen behind in some of those efforts as well, and Hackett and Ford Jr. twice sidestepped questions Monday on whether the company remains on pace to launch a Level 4 autonomous vehicle by 2021. But Ford Jr. broadly acknowledged the company needs to move faster. “The clock speed at which the world is moving—and our competitors, not just other OEMs—really requires us to make decisions at a faster pace,” he said. “I don’t think we missed any opportunities per se, but if we’re going to win in this new world, we have to move fast and trust people to move fast. “The execution against the vision has to be quicker.” Ford has made several investments in that future vision, including a $1 billion investment in Argo AI, a Pittsburgh-based company focused on building artificial intelligence and computer vision for self-driving vehicles, that was announced in February. Last August, the company announced investments in lidar maker Velodyne and Civil Maps, a California company that develops high-definition 3D maps for autonomous vehicles. At the same time, Ford acquired San Francisco–based Chariot, a ride-hailing shuttle service, and SAIPS, an Israeli computer vision and machine-learning company. Ford has also ramped up staffing in its Smart Mobility subsidiary, growing it from 12 employees at the outset in March 2016 to nearly 600 today, according to Hackett. While the subsidiary will continue to exist on its own, Ford Jr. seemed to regret that such a distinction has been drawn between the main company and the future-focused one. Going forward, “We won’t talk a lot about emerging versus core. This is one company,” he said Monday. “Ford Smart Mobility is not the place where new things happen and everything else goes on the way it’s been going on. We don’t want competing groups. We don’t want one group to feel like the cool group and the other to feel like the left-out group.” A central part of Hackett’s job will be to better integrate the two and communicate to investors a single vision as the company marries ride-hailing products and autonomous vehicles with its bread-and-butter business of selling cars. In that respect, he said, the future is no fantasy. Nor is it one that favors Silicon Valley over legacy automotive businesses. “The biggest challenge is to have everybody see the future and see their opportunity in that,” he said. “Secondly, it’s our right to win there. We don’t have to cede that to anybody. Tesla, anybody. It’s our right to win there.”

BC, after your many years of toil, this car has your name all over it.

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In Sweeping Leadership Change, Ford Replaces CEO Mark Fields With James Hackett Forbes / May 22, 2017 Ford Motor’s board of directors was never fully sold on Mark Fields as chief executive, but they decided to give him a chance. Now, after less than three years in the job, Fields is out as CEO, and James P. Hackett, a former CEO of the office furniture maker Steelcase, is in, a sign that Executive Chairman Bill Ford isn’t wasting time when it comes to transforming the company his great-grandfather founded. While going out of his way to praise Fields for leaving Ford in a strong financial position, Bill Ford said: “The clock speed of our competitors requires us to make decisions at a faster pace. If we’re going to win in this new world, we need to break down the hierarchy, and we have to empower the team. We have to move fast, and we have to trust our people to move fast.” No one was more surprised by the swift leadership change than Hackett, who learned on Friday that he was being asked to take the reins. For the past year, he’s been running Ford’s Smart Mobility subsidiary which is developing new strategies for personal transportation. After a board meeting on Friday, Bill Ford met with Fields and the two men agreed it was time for him to retire. Ford then tapped Hackett, whom he has known for years and who he described as a “proven transformational leader” and “visionary thinker.” “He and I think very much alike,” Bill Ford said of Hackett, who served on Ford’s board of directors for three years before taking command of the newly formed mobility unit in 2016. “We’ve always clicked when it comes to thinking about the future,” he said, adding that Hackett also has the strong operating experience needed to run Ford’s core business and that he is skillful at integrating the two missions. Bill Ford laid out three priorities to get Ford back on track: sharpening execution of its day-to-day operations; modernize its business with the latest technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D manufacturing, and develop new businesses for the future. “Any one of those is a big task,” said Ford. “We have to do all three, and we will under Jim’s leadership.” Hackett compared the challenge of running a modern automaker to the complexity of solving a Rubic’s Cube. You can’t just solve one side of the puzzle. “It’s not lost on me. The license you get to makes change comes from taking care of where all the earnings come from.” And he acknowledged that it’s difficult for investors to measure Ford’s progress when it is inventing new businesses as the world is changing. “I understand that pressure, any time you are describing the future it’s ambiguous until you prove it. “ Fields, 56, had been with Ford for 28 years and was instrumental in helping turn the company around under his predecessor, Alan Mulally. In fact, it was Fields’ “Way Forward” restructuring plan for North America in the mid-2000s that Mulally adopted as the core of his global rescue plan that helped Ford avoid bankruptcy during the Great Recession. Ford also promoted three other executives to key leadership roles on Hackett’s team. Jim Farley, a former Toyota Motor executive who runs Ford’s European business, will become president, Global Markets, and Joe Hinrichs, currently head of North America, will become president, Global Operations. In addition, Marcy Kelvorn, Ford’s chief information officer, will also become president, Mobility.

Fields to retire as Ford CEO in management shake-up; ex-Steelcase chief Jim Hackett named new CEO Automotive News / May 22, 2017 DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co., in a broad management shake-up, named Jim Hackett, former CEO of Steelcase, as its new CEO, replacing Mark Fields, who is stepping down amid pressure from shareholders over a slumping stock price. Ford said Fields, 56, has elected to retire from Ford after 28 years with the company. “We’re moving from a position of strength to transform Ford for the future,” Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a statement Monday. “Jim Hackett is the right CEO to lead Ford during this transformative period for the auto industry and the broader mobility space. He’s a true visionary who brings a unique, human-centered leadership approach to our culture, products and services that will unlock the potential of our people and our business.” Hackett, 62, most recently served as chairman of Ford Smart Mobility. Ford created that subsidiary last year to handle its investments in autonomous vehicles and new mobility services. Fields has been pouring billions into self-driving cars and ride-sharing experiments as its traditional car business has struggled in a slowing U.S. market. In addition to the CEO changes, Ford announced: Jim Farley is appointed executive vice president and president, Global Markets. He previously served as president of Ford’s Europe, Middle East and Africa. Farley will be returning to Ford headquarters in the U.S., a spokesman said. Among his new duties, Farley will preside over the Lincoln luxury brand. Lincoln President Kumar Galhotra will report to Farley. Joe Hinrichs, formerly president of the Americas, was appointed executive vice president and president, Global Operations. Raj Nair will continue to serve as head of Ford product development, and will report to Hinrichs, a spokesman said. Marcy Klevorn is appointed executive vice president and president, Mobility. Those three appointments are effective June 1. New leaders to succeed Hinrichs, Farley and Klevorn will be the subject of a future announcement, Ford said. Paul Ballew was also appointed vice president and Chief Data and Analytics Officer. Mark Truby also replaces Ray Day as head of communications. Day will stay on to “provide consulting services” through the end of the year. Truby will report to Bill Ford. Forbes first reported the management changes Sunday night. Ford shares were up 1.75 percent to $11.06 in pre-market trading. Stock down Fields, 56, had been under pressure for the company’s lagging stock price and lower-than-expected profits so far this year. Board members had recently reportedly questioned Fields’ strategy for the future of the company, which relies on heavy investments in driverless and electric vehicle technology. Since Fields took over as CEO from Alan Mullally in July 2014, Ford’s stock price has fallen nearly 40 percent. Last week, Ford announced it would slash 1,400 salaried workers in North America and Asia as a cost-cutting move as it continues to spend on what it calls “emerging opportunities.” That type of move, normally reserved for distressed business units and economic downturns, came amid a relative boom time for the industry. Ford career Before he was named CEO, Fields served in a number of positions, including COO and president of the Americas. During his time leading the Americas, Fields was the architect of Ford’s “Way Forward” plan to restructure the business as its profits disappeared during the last industry downturn. He also served as CEO of Mazda. When he took over for Mulally in 2014, Fields inherited an automaker on the verge of posting record profits. He also oversaw the transformation of the profit-generating F-150 to include an aluminum body, as well as dozens of other product launches. Fields also appointed a separate president to head the Lincoln Motor Co. in an effort to revive the luxury brand. Executives, including Chairman Bill Ford, praised Fields early on and said the transition between CEOs had been seamless. But Fields came under fire in recent years as Wall Street remained unimpressed with Ford’s profits and plans for the future. At last year’s annual meeting, one shareholder even asked to bring back Mulally -- a popular figure who helped save the company during the financial crisis. .

May 10, 2017 Camp Quality Convoy Victoria 2017 kicked-off before sunrise on the April 30th, with a procession of trucks making their way into the Avalon Airport. In the morning the truckers tucked into a delicious breakfast, and held their breath at the excitement of the Lead Truck bidding (an initiative where entrants raised a minimum of $1,000, and bid against each other to lead the convoy). When the dust settled, Daniel Crawford of Hallam Truck Centre came out on top! He won the honour of leading the convoy of trucks and motorbikes on the 50 kilometer drive to Tabcorp Park in Melton. The 300 polished and shining trucks made for an incredible spectacle stretching out into the distance. Locals came out to watch the procession go by and take in the display of motoring glory. A Family Fun Day at Tabcorp Park was held after the convoy, which was exceptionally well supported by the truckers and bikers (and their families), as well as many Melton locals. It was incredible to see! The day was full of family fun, good food, impressive vehicles (both bikes and trucks) and great people. The Show and Shine at the Family Fun Day was a crowd favourite, with all the drivers for taking the time to clean and polish their rigs – they were a truly impressive sight! Rod Patterson took out the People’s Choice for the event. Camp Quality thanks everyone involved in making the event a reality, and for helping us to raise $45,000! That's enough to deliver one Middle Camp this year so that kids can take an essential break from the stress and intensity of cancer. If you would like to be a part of Camp Quality Convoy Victoria 2018, please contact our Victorian Office on 03 9329 8660 * Camp Quality’s purpose is to create a better life for every child living with cancer in Australia. We are committed to delivering national programs that build resilience and optimistic behaviours for all children (0-13 years) living with cancer in Australia. .

Diesel News Australia / May Diesel took a trip to the Boral Enfield batching plant in Sydney to try driving a low rider. It was an opportunity to have a look at and experience the difference between the traditional agitator and Boral’s new low rider–design agitator being trialled there. This plant is one of many in the Sydney area working at full capacity as a series of major infrastructure projects have increased demand for concrete in the city. To get a handle on the improvement achieved by Boral, Diesel took two agitators out to a job. The first was the conventional agitator built in the past, and the second was using the new design. Apart from the new layout every other aspect of the truck was the same. Anyone who has steered an agitator at all will reaffirm the inherent instability of the platform. It’s a bit like being on roller skates, you have the feeling one false move and you will fall over. This makes the driver keep well within the parameters of safety, especially on roundabouts and other sharp turns. Jumping into the truck for the second delivery was a complete contrast. The truck felt just like any other, it could have been a fully loaded tipper or box truck. Even in a straight line the improved stability is obvious. When it comes to corners and roundabouts the driver feels in full control. At the same time there is great feedback from the truck. The seat of the pants feeling tells you just how the rear end is reacting. The result is a much more secure feeling at the wheel. You are no longer riding on roller skates, but a normal stable truck. The resulting truck, from what has been a two-year process, is a revelation. The prototype went on the road in April 2016 and all of the drivers in the depot who had a go with the truck wanted to drive it rather than their own. The principles behind this new design seem obvious when you look at the finished product. However, no one seems to have even thought about this in recent years. The question is, just what made Merv Rowlands, Boral Fleet Engineering Manager – Logistics, start thinking about this issue in a new way? “I was visiting Mack’s Mod Centre in Brisbane, where they make all the company-specific changes,” says Merv. “I was looking at some agitators which were for us, and the nature of the suspension and the cross members I saw just didn’t look right to me. “Within Boral Logistics, we only use Primaax suspension on all of our tippers and tankers. Then we looked at what they do in America and Europe – there’s no way they would fit air suspension on agis. Their chassis start at 9.5mm and go up, they even use double-wall chassis. They clearly see the hardest job for a chassis is to carry an agitator. “You can see it on our older agitators. Nearly every one will have a sub-frame crack. That will disappear now, because there is no sub-frame to crack. We are now having a lot more thoughts about what we are going to do in the future.” Read about the changes Boral made in the agitator design here. .

Big Wheels Malaysia / May 18, 2017 With almost four decades of experience in the transportation industry, Teo Tuan Kwee Sdn Bhd (TTK) knows what works best so it says a lot when the company has opted to buy another 50 Scania trucks to join the existing 182 Scania trucks it already owns. Operating a predominantly Scania fleet, TTK specialises in services such as palm oil tanker transportation, bonded lorry tankers, cargo transportation and container haulage and this is one of the largest ever orders in Malaysia from the Swedish company. “The vision is for TTK to become an outstanding and reputable logistics company in Malaysia and Singapore in next 5 years,” said TTK director Teo Chee Ben (张志敏) in Johor Bahru when receiving the latest batch comprising 26 units of the Scania G410LA6x2MSZ truck. Teo said the Johor based company selected its trucks based on the criteria of quality and high uptime, adding that the decision to buy more Scania trucks was also because of the good maintenance service provided. With its latest acquisition – facilitated by Scania Credit – TTK is also the first company in the southern region to acquire the Scania G-series trucks, which it will be using for its long-haul operations. The hardworking G-series can be configured to suit a huge range of applications – from long-haulage and distribution to the toughest off-road jobs – while providing powerful performance, fuel economy and safety. “We are proud to be a partner of TTK for its long-haul operations and for the long haul. It is investing in the total operating economy that Scania offers to create the best profitability for our customers,” said Managing Director, Scania Southeast Asia, Marie Sjödin Enström. “This is achieved through Scania’s sustainable transport solutions,” added Marie. TTK’s new trucks also come with the two-year free Scania Maintenance package, two years of free 24/7 Scania Assistance and a ten-year free Fleet Management System (FMS). The FMS is activated via a communicator that comes standard with the Scania trucks enables operators to achieve up to 10% fuel economy, collecting data on board Scania trucks that provides valuable insight, tracking and diagnostics into the driver and vehicle behaviour. This can bring significant benefits in increased uptime, improved safety and reduced operating costs; especially if coupled with Scania Driver Training and Scania Driver Coaching. Just minor adjustments to an experienced driver’s habits can result in fuel savings of up to 10% with the information acquired while keeping a constant speed can significantly improve fuel economy and reduce maintenance costs. Scania’s smart data collection makes this quick and easy. .

Kenworth T610 recognised by Good Design Australia Prime Mover Magazine / May 22, 2017 The aerodynamic design of Kenworth’s new T610 and T601SAR models has been recognised by Good Design Australia, the organisation behind Australia's annual Good Design Awards program. According to PACCAR Australia, the T610 received a ‘Good Design Selection’, with the judging committee stating, “The Jury takes their hat off to the design and engineering team. This is design excellence at its best.” According to Good Design Australia, involving customers in the design phase has resulted in a user-focused outcome. “The driving position in the Aero is just beautiful and it is clear the designers put driver comfort first. Overall, this project exemplifies good design at all levels.” .

UD Trucks Press Release / April 18, 2017 .

Mitsubishi Fuso Press Release / May 15, 2017 Kawasaki, Japan - Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) today announced the launch of both the “Super Great” heavy-duty truck, which has undergone a full model change for the first time in 21 years, and the “Aero Queen” and “Aero Ace” heavy-duty touring buses. In a conscious move to modernize Japanese driving habits and increase safety and efficiency, all these new trucks and touring buses are equipped with the new automatic mechanical transmission (AMT) as standard, a first time in Japan. The new FUSO models, that include Daimler technologies also used in other brands of the global CV Leader, feature some market-first top-class safety features, the best fuel efficiency in the market, and maximum maneuverability bringing the most comfortable driving experience to the road. “With this double launch we demonstrating FUSO’s ability to get back to the leadership position in our home-market Japan…” says Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of MFTBC and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia. Llistosella continues, “These flagship vehicles feature state-of-the-art technologies that enable best in class fuel efficiency, safety and comfort that will make them the first choice for customers and their drivers alike. At the same time, we invest heavily in our dealership facilities and the training of our sales and service staff, to ensure that our customers get the best overall package to make them successful in their business. I am confident, that with this revolution at FUSO we will be able to gain significantly market share” “Super Great” Heavy-duty Truck For the first time in the 21 years since 1996, the interior and exterior of the model in this range have been refined in a full-scale model change. Installed with two types of newly developed small-displacement engines (Models 6R20, 10.7 liters, 6S10, 7.7 liters), the new models have become extremely light compared with conventional vehicles. A newly-developed 12-speed automatic mechanical transmission (AMT) called “ShiftPilot” is installed in all vehicles, achieving comfortable, smooth shift operation. Advanced safety technologies have been implemented to reduce large truck accidents and enhance safety. These technologies include the “ABA4” brake to mitigate collision damage, and “Active Attention Assist” monitor that detects pedestrians ahead, developed as a part of the evolution of the MDAS-III technology for monitoring driver driving attention, and “Active Sideguard Assist,” the first technology in Japan to warn against danger hidden in the left blind spot. “Proximity Control Assist,” which comes with automatic stop and start functions, in addition to auto cruising, equipped with a function to maintain the proper distance between two vehicles, is also a new function added to the new Super Great truck. “Powertrain 3-D forecast control,” (optional) for forecasting road gradients through GPS, and 3-D map information during auto cruising, assures low fuel consumption during cruising and improves economy and over-all comfort. As a telematics function, “Truckonnect” is now provided in the “Super Great” as standard. This new function allows customers the ability to check all the trucks’ vital information in real-time through the customer’s personal computer systems. Positions of vehicles, cruising routes and problems such as vehicle failure, and accidents can be checked using this function. It also allows real-time determination of safe truck driving by drivers. Basic items such as digital tachographs can also be checked, allowing efficient bus operation, including management of fuel consumption. MFTBC is proud to be the first Japanese Commercial Vehicle Manufacturer to offer these specialized services, and therefore, will offer free initial installations, free service communication, and a free digital tachograph. Makoto Tanno, the Director of the Retail Operations Fuso Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Sales Japan, comments, “We firmly believe that the New Super Great will be a product that will become an industry benchmark, satisfying customer needs for economy, safety and comfort and even leading to AMT becoming an industry standard.” Tanno concludes, “With the introduction of our new telematics service “Truckconnect”, we provide another industry first in Japan, that continuously connects our customers and their fleets. We will further develop Truckconect into a full connectivity ecosystem, which enables new efficiencies and provides new profit-streams for our customers.” “Aero Queen” and “Aero Ace” Heavy-duty Touring Buses While they keep the elegant and well-designed exterior of their successor, the new “Aero Queen” and “Aero Ace” have been substantially redesigned and improved in terms of safety and comfort to further extend the leading position of FUSO as a Bus manufacturer in the market. For the first time in Japan, the “ShiftPilot” 8-speed automatic mechanical transmission (AMT) is installed on all heavy-duty tour buses as standard, to provide a high level of safety, comfort and efficiency.In the area of safety performance, “ABA3,” which is an advanced version of the “AMB” brake for alleviation of collision damage, is installed. Also installed for the first time in buses are new technologies including the “Active Attention Assist,” which monitors driver attention through a driver-facing camera, developed as a further evolution of the MDAS-III and “Proximity Control Assist” technology. This adds automatic stop and automatic start functions to auto cruise, and includes a function to maintain the proper distance between cars to help alleviate driver fatigue during traffic congestion. A new small-displacement engine (model 6S10, 7.7 liters) is installed to increase the number of passenger seats by decreasing weight. The Aero Ace now has larger trunk room to meet increasing demand for the transport of inbound tourists. According to Hidekazu Kanno, Head of Fuso Bus Marketing & Sales Japan, and Mitsubishi FUSO Bus Manufacturing Co. Ltd. President, “The new “Aero Queen” and “Aero Ace” buses are the touring buses most used by travelers in Japan. The new models maintain the same bus body appearance as those of the earlier models that were highly valued in the market, but have greater safety performance, allowing their passengers to enjoy a safer bus ride. The vehicle control system and power train are shared with other bus brands of Daimler and therefore offer world-class standards. These buses are vehicles that have been manufactured with future automated driving in mind. We are convinced they represent the benchmark for safety and quality in the market.” . .

Isuzu's Business in South Africa Isuzu Press Release / May 18, 2017 Plan to make ITSA (Isuzu Truck South Africa) become Isuzu's wholly-owned subsidiary and LCV business completely controlled by Isuzu Isuzu Motors Limited (headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo and headed by Masanori Katayama, President and Representative Director, hereinafter called "Isuzu") and General Motors Company (headquartered in Detroit, the U.S.A. and headed by Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO, hereinafter called "GM") reached an agreement under which GM will transfer the pickup truck business of General Motors South Africa (hereinafter called "GMSA") to Isuzu Truck South Africa (Pty) Limited (hereinafter called "ITSA") in order for Isuzu to reinforce its commercial vehicle and pickup truck business in the South African market. Before the business transfer, Isuzu will purchase from GMSA a 30% equity stake in ITSA, which assembles and distributes Isuzu commercial vehicles, whereby Isuzu will transform the company into its wholly-owned subsidiary with a new company name of "ISUZU MOTORS SOUTH AFRICA (Tentative)". Isuzu will further reinforce sales, marketing and after-sales activities for commercial vehicles and pickup trucks to establish a foundation for sustainable, long-term business growth in the South African market. Outline of the company Company name ISUZU MOTORS SOUTH AFRICA (tentative) Change of company name Planned in June 2017 Location Johannesburg, South Africa Representative Hiroaki Sugawara Shareholder Isuzu Motors Limited (100%) Description of Business Assembly, sales and after-sales of Isuzu commercial vehicles and pickup trucks for South Africa and surrounding countries *The assembly, sales and after-sales of pickup trucks will start in or after January 2018. Capital 80 million South African Rand (about 650 million Yen)

Volvo to set up Sh2.5b assembly plant in Mombasa The Standard / May 19. 2017 Swedish truckmaker Volvo plans to set up a Sh2.5 billion vehicle assembly plant in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa. Volvo said the factory would be ready for commissioning in early 2018 and would have a capacity to produce 500 units, which would be scaled up over time to reach 2,000 units. Senior Volvo management said yesterday the plant would also serve the region.

Reuters Africa / May 18, 2017 NAIROBI - Swedish truck maker AB Volvo is to start assembling vehicles in Kenya, part of a series of investments aimed at boosting the company's presence in the region, the company said on Thursday. The East African nation undermined what was a thriving local assembly industry in the 1990s with policies that encouraged cheap secondhand imports. It is now seeking to attract manufacturers back to help create jobs and support growth. Volvo is only the latest vehicle maker to announce plans in recent months to start assembling locally, following moves by Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot and CNH Industrial's Iveco. Volvo will also open an office in Kenya to serve East Africa, open 20 workshops around the region and a parts warehouse, it said in a statement. The company said it was partnering with local firm NECST in the plan, which will create about 300 direct jobs. "There is a significant potential for the premium truck business as regional economies grow, infrastructure investments expand and the business environment remains investment friendly," Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks, said in the statement.

Transport Engineer / May 19, 2017 Concrete supplier Trenchcon has taken delivery of a Volvo FE low-entry cab (LEC) 6x2 rigid for truckmixer applications – the first vehicle of its type to enter service in the UK. The operator needed a specialist 6m³ mixer for work in inner London, as managing director Ronan Byrne explains: “With the Volvo FE LEC, we believe that we are paving the way for a new type of construction truck for use in the urban environment.” Safety was top of the agenda when it came to vehicle selection, he adds: “The greatly enhanced direct vision afforded the driver – which is aided by his sitting about 400mm lower in this truck compared to a standard six-wheel mixer – we believe brings the percentage chance of harm to such as cyclists and pedestrians, down by a significant amount.” Supplied by Volvo Truck and Bus Centre London, at Enfield, the new addition has a 320bhp engine, coupled to a direct top I-Shift automated gearbox and a single reduction rear axle, and is equipped with a CIFA truck mixer body, by Wilcox, and a Brigade four-camera safety system. The FE LEC also features air suspension on all three axles and a hydraulic steered tag-axle. The safety cab features two step entry and a lowered window in the nearside door to increase visibility for the driver. “The type of work we do means that the FE LEC doesn’t need to go off road. When we spec’ed it up, we chose Volvo for the best quality and the fact that this truck is top-of-the-range and entirely suited to our needs,” says Byrne. “We needed the rear-steer lift axle for maneuverability and the I-Shift automated gearbox as the best solution available to help the driver manage deliveries through the constant stop-start heavy traffic. It’s the first truck of its kind for Volvo and I think that we will see many more operators opting for this type of mixer in London.” .

Transport Engineer / May 16, 2017 Haulage firm Revis of York has taken delivery of 25 Volvo FH 6x2 tractors with lightweight mid-lift axles – the first of a 35-unit order. The factory-fit axles were key to the decision, says the operator, as is the Volvo Gold R&M arrangement through dealer Crossroads Truck and Bus. The latest additions to the Revis fleet all have 500bhp engines and Globetrotter cabs. They are supplied on a three-year contract hire and are transporting bagged fertiliser to farms across the UK. “This deal with the Gold R&M agreement means we know where we are,” says director John Revis. He also rates the service from dealer Crossroads: “We’re delighted with the support we receive and are especially appreciative of the service whereby the trucks are collected on Friday evening and returned to us at Saturday lunchtime. We don’t lose a moment’s uptime and our six-weekly inspections, servicing and any repairs are simply not something we really need to think about.” The new trucks are expected to cover 160,000km a year and are on the road five days a week. “Running at 44-tonne most of the time, our operation is weight critical and the new axles really help us in this respect,” adds Revis. With the vehicles operating on anything from motorways to farm tracks, vehicle robustness and versatility is a must: “The farm tracks can be a big ask, but the new Volvo FH 6x2 tractor units are just perfect across all the conditions we face,” he says. “The I-Shift is far and away the market-leading automated gearbox and personally, I can’t see it being knocked off its perch anytime soon.” .

Engineering News / May 19, 2017 The decision by General Motors to pull out of South Africa will “have negative consequences on component suppliers to the company’s existing Chevrolet assembly lines”, says South Africa’s National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) executive director Renai Moothilal. “We are obviously concerned at the announcement that General Motors will be stopping the production and sale of its vehicles in South Africa.” Moothilal said on Friday that Naacam did not yet know how many component suppliers would be affected by GM’s shock decision, announced on Thursday. The decision would see GM South Africa (GMSA) cease Chevrolet production and sales in South Africa by the end of 2017. Isuzu KB one-ton and Isuzu truck production would continue, under the Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSA) banner. Isuzu Motors announced on Thursday that it would acquire GMSA’s Port Elizabeth plant from GM, to form IMSA. Isuzu assembly at GMSA made up around 50% of production at the Port Elizabeth plant. GMSA total production was well in excess of 2 000 units a month, on average. Moothilal added that Isuzu Motors’ announcement at least offered a “silver lining” to GM’s decision to depart South Africa. “We view this as a level of confidence shown in South Africa as a manufacturing destination. We look forward to working with Isuzu to find ways to optimise the use of South African suppliers.” Moothilal added that it was Naacam’s understanding that GM exited South Africa “on the back of a weak domestic sales outlook, and a general reprioritisation of markets in terms of its global strategy. “At the same time, the company announced its exit from India. Thus the decision seems to be more GM centric. However, we remain of the view that a flourishing domestic and regional market is vital to the long-term sustainability of the auto manufacturing sector.” GM also announced on Thursday that it would cease Chevrolet sales in India by the end of 2017. However, its plant at Talegaon would continue as an export hub for a number of markets abroad. The group added that Isuzu Motors would also acquire its 57.7% shareholding in GM East Africa, assuming management control. GM would also withdraw sales of the Chevrolet brand from the East African market.

Good review, DAF impresses. Note the comment at 4:41 on 2021-2022.......50cm longer cab noses.

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / May 18, 2017 .