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BBC / January 9, 2016 BMW is spending $1 billion on a plant in Mexico. BMW sales and marketing director Ian Robertson told the BBC that the firm was "absolutely" committed its new plant in San Luis Potosi, which will make its 3 Series cars for sale across North America. He added that the company was investing $1 billion in its plant in South Carolina and pointed out that BMW was the biggest exporter of cars, in terms of value, from the US. "I don't think there's any discussion that BMW is not at home in the United States. Yes we are building a plant in Mexico. Yes we built a plant in Brazil last year. Yes we are building plants in other parts of the world as our capacity increases. But that's part of a normal strategic manufacturing direction," Robertson said.

“There was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good, there was nothing good about it, but it was effective and it did its job.” “It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter, someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn’t it in a movie, it was real life.” “This instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everyone’s life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing.” “Disrespect invites disrespect, violence invites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose.” Cecil B DeMille award recipient Meryl Streep at the Golden Globe Awards January 9, 2017 .

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Tatra Trucks Press Release / January 6, 2017 In 2016, the Tatra Trucks produced a total of 1,326 vehicles, with all manufactured vehicles already sold. As a result, it's the first time since 2008 that Tatra exceeded the symbolic production milestone of 1,000 vehicles and managed to increase production by more than 50 percent on a year-on-year basis. “We have proved to customers around the world that we are able to meet their demand for our unique Tatra vehicles and chassis,” says company CEO Martin Bednarz. The production in Tatra ran until the last working day of the year; the last score of vehicles were assembled in the week between Christmas and New Year. Both owners of the truckmaker highly appreciate the company’s results in 2016: Jaroslav Strnad and René Matera. Majority shareholder of Tatra Trucks Jaroslav Strnad says: “A big thanks from me and Rene Matera go not only to the entire management team of Tatra Trucks, but above all to the employees for all their efforts, especially in recent weeks and months.” The production and sales goals of Tatra Trucks for 2017 is 1,700 vehicles. From a long-term point of view, the company considers it realistic to supply the world market with about 2,000 vehicles a year in the segment of specialty trucks and chassis for various superstructures with the requirement for high durability and go-anywhere ability off-road. A substantial annual increase in company sales will correspond to the growth in production. “Our EBITDA will rise as well, it will approach the level of half a billion CZK in 2016,” said Finance Director Radek Strouhal. Chairman Petr Rusek’s comments on expectations for 2017: “Due to the expected development of the European economy, our growth in 2017 will be much more demanding than in the last two years. However, thanks to a specific product and the major diversification of markets, Tatra has good prerequisites for this.” Production increase, human resources and innovations in 2016 The organization of production operations, where such excellent results have been achieved, was conducted under the direction of operations manager Pavel Jurečka. An increase in the number of vehicles produced by more than half would not be possible without the intensive work with subcontractors done by purchasing director Martin Šustek. However, the final number of 1,326 Tatra trucks particularly demonstrates the high commitment and motivation of hundreds of production workers, especially in recent months and weeks of the year. Chairman Petr Rusek says: “Purchasing director Martin Šustek deserves the lion’s share for the fact that in 2016 TATRA managed to deliver on its business success through sophisticated procurement and production support. His department underwent full-scale restructuring in 2017 and his team managed to coordinate all contractors so that TATRA TRUCKS had enough parts and material to produce all our trucks. Such a favourable situation in the supply of material has been absolutely unprecedented in the past five years.” This production increase occurred under extremely difficult staffing conditions. During the year, Tatra Trucks hired more than 350 new employees, mostly in technical professions. “It was a difficult task, as we do not run any mass production series, rather we produce unique vehicles. Even a line operator must be a qualified specialist,” says HR Director Katerina Nogolová. The number of company employees thus reached 1,350 persons, out of which 650 count for production workers. More than ten new talented designers, all recent graduates, have been hired. Fresh “reinforcements” are necessary because, from the design point of view, special non-series production requires day-to-day development and innovation. Engineering Director Radomir Smolka lists some of them: “In 2016, we began to offer our customers vehicles equipped with disc brakes, having also modernized the original TATRA cab for TATRA FORCE vehicles.” Investment, projects and development During 2016, the company made investments worth CZK 400 million, mostly directed towards production. These investments included milling machines, machine tools, paint shop equipment and assembly lines. However, Tatra invests not only in the production, but also in development and testing; over CZK 100 million, all of it from its own funds and subsidies, have been directed towards these two areas in the last three years. While the number of employees should not significantly rise in 2017, hundreds of millions of investment in machinery and equipment will continue. Managing Director Martin Bednarz comments this way: “Tatra’s staffing capacity is now sufficient for the production of about 2,000 vehicles in a two-shift operation, assuming investments into manufacturing technology will be made, including the partial robotization of certain production parts.” The overall reconstruction of the middle tract of the factory is planned, covering the final assembly line and other key operations, where no investments have been made to a greater extent since the 1980s. As a result, the Tatra factory would also be visually transformed into a modern industrial enterprise. The project implementation depends on the decision to grant co-financing from European funds, which should happen in the upcoming months. Another major project, whose implementation should start in 2017, is the construction of the new Tatra Museum in the historically valuable building of the former foundry, which requires major reconstruction. CFO Radek Strouhal, overseeing the project management on behalf of Tatra, says: “In cooperation with the Moravian-Silesian Region as a strategic partner, with the Town of Koprivnice and the National Technical Museum, we want to open a new museum on a global scale in 2019 in Koprivnice, which will become a popular destination, together with the existing museum, for tourists and automobile connoisseurs.” Tatra’s business achievements in 2016 Tatra Trucks is not only increasing the production of vehicles, but they have also managed to expand their portfolio of customers. At the moment it can be said without exaggeration that Tatra Trucks supplies vehicles to all inhabited continents and all climatic zones. The important fact is that the Tatra Trucks business strategy is widely diversified, not only geographically, where smaller series or even individually unique special trucks are supplied to dozens of countries, but also in terms of segments - from bulk mining lorries and agricultural special units to e.g. fire engines. As regards the proportion of production between the military and civilian sector, this ratio is about 68:32. The most significant market is still the domestic Czech-Slovak territory with more than 435 vehicles, with India coming in second with the sale of 334 vehicles. Third place is jointly shared by two new markets - Egypt and Jordan, where 130 Tatra vehicles were exported this year to each of these countries. An interesting volume of vehicles, 76 units, was delivered to Brazil. “Egypt and Jordan are new and attractive markets which we have entered this year. Currently the supply of our production there is going to the defence segment, but in the future we would like to supply vehicles for the civilian sector as well,” says Sales Director David Pipal. The growth in sales of the civilian series, where our flagship Tatra Phoenix model has grown by 65 percent, looks very promising. This model series features mostly Euro 6 compliant engines and is designed especially for developed western markets. With this model, Tatra has successfully established itself not only in domestic markets but has also expanded to Austria, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. Regarding production for the defence segment, Tatra Trucks usually supplies chassis for which the buyer selects a superstructure according to their needs. OEM projects are also very interesting with the truckmaker supplying so-called CKD sets to the market, i.e. vehicles are disassembled into subassemblies transportable via containers, which are then assembled at the customer’s. The most significant Tatra OEM project is in India, where the assembly operations take place in the state-owned BEML enterprise. David Pipal says: “We have achieved the first goal - to demonstrate to our partners and customers that Tatra is flourishing again. Now we are showing our customers that with Tatra and its unique utility qualities, they can increase their own prosperity. Tatra will take you farther.” Tatra Trucks is also continuing its traditional cooperation with the Czech Army, which mainly concerns the supply of medium-sized Tatra Tactic trucks (formerly the T810). David Pipal, the sales director of Tatra Trucks, says: “The Czech Army is our traditional and reference customer, something which we highly appreciate.”

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Dakar 2017: Stage 6 cancelled due to bad weather Iveco Trucks Press Release / January 7, 2017 Several vehicles got in trouble in the extremely muddy conditions in yesterday's stage, a truck tipped over in a river, and the navigation with the route map became almost impossible for the participants. As weather conditions did not improve, Marc Coma and the organisers decided to cancel Stage 6, which was to be the longest in the 2017 edition of the rally. The decision was made on Friday night, when the bad conditions of the roads for Saturday were confirmed. In a press release, ASO reported the situation: "Considering the extreme climatic conditions and that some drivers are still on the stage course, considering that is impossible to bring vehicles of all participants back to the bivouac and prepare the next stage in the best conditions, and considering that people of the organisation in charge of the reco of tomorrow's stage course informed that the road is unpracticable, the 6th stage of ORURO-LA PAZ has been cancelled." "In the first 100 kilometres we went through the mountains. It was very hard. At the beginning it was a bit dry, but then it started to rain. We had good grip and managed to get through perfectly in the navigation, while rivals got lost," stated Gerard de Rooy, who reached his 32nd stage win in Dakar Rallies. As Sunday will be the Rest Day for drivers, this means that there will be no competition until Monday, when the crews will attack the La Paz – Uyuni stage. Gerard de Rooy and IVECO start the weekend at the top of the overall classification, having won the last two specials. Dutchmen from, Ton van Genugten and Wuf van Ginkel, will be able to work on their IVECO Trakkers #507 and #525 in preparation for the second part of the race, having had a difficult stage on Friday. Meanwhile, Federico Villagra, behind the wheel of another IVECO Powerstar, will set his sights on returning to the Top 5 in the general classification. Overall Classification – Dakar 2017 1. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) 14h06m07s 2. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 2m23s 3. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) + 6m36s 4. Airat Mardeev (Kamaz) + 16m32s 5. Pascal de Baar (Renault Trucks) + 32m25s ----------- 6. Federico Villagra (IVECO) + 34m30s 23. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 6h07m03s 25. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 7h04m34s

Dakar 2017: IVECO and De Rooy win second stage in a row in shortened special Iveco Trucks Press Release / January 7, 2017 A total of 438 kilometres were programmed in two different sections between Tupiza and Oruro. But heavy rain and hail led to the decision of stopping the race at the end of the first part of the special. Gerard de Rooy, thanks to a faultless driving and a great performance of his Iveco Powerstar, managed to secure a very important win, with the race coming close to the midpoint. The Dutchman led from the start and remained in front of the Trucks category to close the day with a time of 2h39m12s, almost twelve minutes faster than Eduard Nikolaev with a Kamaz. "In the first 100 kilometres we went through the mountains. It was very hard. At the beginning it was a bit dry, but then it started to rain. We had good grip and managed to get through perfectly in the navigation, while rivals got lost," stated Gerard de Rooy, who reached his 32nd stage win in Dakar Rallies. With two consecutive wins, the Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco leader reached the top of the overall classification for the first time in 2017, despite losing half an hour two days ago due to tyre problems. Ton van Genugten had trouble in the first part of the stage, as he got stuck in the mud due to the heavy rain. The Iveco Trakker #507 lost almost four hours to his teammate De Rooy, and his chances of getting in the Top 10 are now diminished, although there is more than half of the race ahead. Wuf van Ginkel and his crew got lost in different parts of the special and helped his teammate Van Genugten, which made them lose a lot of time. They finished 3h57m26s behind the leader. Van Ginkel and Van Genugten also received an additional two-hour penalty at the end of the stage. Not the best day in the office for Federico Villagra, who was second overall yesterday. With another Iveco Powerstar, the Argentine lost 46m50s to De Rooy and fell back to sixth. Stage 6 of 2017 Dakar Rally will link Oruro and La Paz, being the longest special of the race with 513 timed kilometres covering 4,400 metres above sea level in the middle of the stage. Stage 5 Results – Dakar 2017 1. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) 2h39m12s 2. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 11m58s 3. Airat Mardeev (Kamaz) + 14m04s 4. Martin Macik (Liaz) + 16m15s 5. Siarhei Viazovich (Maz) + 17m43s ----------- 16. Federico Villagra (IVECO) + 46m50s 36. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 5h48m09s 39. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 5h57m26s Overall Classification – Dakar 2017 1. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) 14h06m07s 2. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) + 2m23s 3. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) + 6m36s 4. Airat Mardeev (Kamaz) + 16m32s 5. Pascal de Baar (Renault Trucks) + 32m25s ----------- 6. Federico Villagra (IVECO) + 34m30s 23. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 6h07m03s 25. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 7h04m34s

Dakar 2017: IVECO and De Rooy victorious in fourth stage Iveco Trucks Press Release / January 6, 2017 The world's toughest rally raid crossed the border to Bolivia, entering a third country in only four days of racing. Stage 4 proved to be very hard for the crews, as they had to cope with altitudes of more than 3,500 metres above sea level and difficult navigation through the sand dunes approaching Tupiza, where today's special ended. After a long timed section of 416 kilometres and almost five hours, Gerard de Rooy's IVECO managed to overtake Airat Mardeev's Kamaz in the last section to secure a victory in the fourth stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally. This is a great sign that yesterday's problems in the tyre system are now resolved and the Dutchman is back in contention for the leading places. In the overall classification he has climbed back to fifth position, 14m15s behind the leader. The iveco Trakkers did a great job and finished the stage inside the Top 10. Ton van Genugten took his #507 to 7th position, having worked hard on the road to Tupiza and gained a lot of ground in the second part. Wuf van Ginkel, who is tasked with providing technical and mechanical assistance to his teammates in the PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO Team, finished the stage 25m32s behind the leader, in 10th place.. With today's performance, Van Genugten and Van Ginkel move up in the overall classification, Ton in 10th place and Wuf in 16th position. Behind the wheel of the other IVECO Powerstar in the race, Federico Villagra finished in the Top 5 and moved up to second place in overall classification, as his rivals lost time in today's stage. On Friday, the Dakar caravan will travel north to Oruro, in Bolivia, with a timed stage of 438 kilometres for Trucks. Stage 4 Results – Dakar 2017 1. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) 4h55m55s 2. Airat Mardeev (Kamaz) +30s 3. Anton Shibalov (Kamaz) +3m07s 4. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kama) +7m37s 5. Federico Villagra (IVECO) +16m37s ----------- 7. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) +19m40s 10. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 25m32s Overall Classification – Dakar 2017 1. Dmitry Sotnikov (Kamaz) 11h12m40s 2. Federico Villagra (IVECO) +1m55s 3. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz) +4m40s 4. Anton Shibalov (Kamaz) +5m34s 5. Gerard de Rooy (IVECO) +14m15s ----------- 10. Ton van Genugten (IVECO) + 33m09s 16. Wuf van Ginkel (IVECO) + 1h21m23s

Brian Straight, Fleet Owner / January 5, 2017 With over 6,300 Class 8 tractors and approximately 60,000 trailers located throughout the United States, the Walmart truck fleet reaches far and wide. Walmart as a company reaches much further. That is why sustainability has become such a key goal for the company, which became the first retailer to sign on to the Science Based Targets Initiative in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement in December 2015. Walmart has committed to acquire half of its energy from renewable sources, reduce emissions in its own operations by 18% by 2025, and work with suppliers to reduce emissions by 1 gigaton by 2030. But before it committed to these latest environmental targets, Walmart had goals to achieve by 2015. Those goals, launched officially in 2005, featured a range of efforts across the entire business, transportation included. “Transportation is one of the cogs in a very big wheel,” says Elizabeth Fretheim, director of logistics sustainability. “When we make changes, it affects things upstream and downstream [in the supply chain]. We need to work together as an industry” and collaborate with suppliers, government, manufacturers, and fleets. The initial sustainability goal was to double U.S. fleet efficiency by 2015. In October of that year, Walmart announced the fleet had met that goal, reducing CO2 emissions by nearly 650,000 metric tons a year and saving $1 billion in costs in fiscal year 2016. To accomplish this, Fretheim says the fleet focused on three core areas: filling trailers, routing, and equipment. “Although [filling trailers] sounds like people just stuffing things in trailers, there is a lot of things upstream like consolidation of orders and making sure freight comes into distribution centers on time so we can get it [cross-docked] on the right trailers,” she notes. The second part of the equation was routing. In the case of Walmart, that process went beyond just running fewer miles. In some cases, more miles were needed, the company found. “It’s a lot about finding the shortest distance from distribution to the store, but it’s about backhauls, too,” Fretheim says. “We also do a lot of alignments several times a year.” Those alignments look at the transportation opportunities available, and in some cases, a truck may cover more miles because there are other efficiencies available. “It may not be the store closest to the distribution center because another distribution center may have a chance for a backhaul,” Fretheim points out. The third part was the equipment. Walmart trucks are equipped with skirts and many other aerodynamic treatments, but Fretheim says it was something simpler that made a big difference. “When you think about equipment, you think technological solutions,” she says, “but it’s also about going back to the basics—having the right specs, having a robust maintenance program, and making sure you have a robust driver training program.” Fretheim says the biggest surprise was not what any one component or program provided, but how much of the saving was due to operational changes. She estimates 80% of the gains were achieved because of operational changes rather than equipment changes. For example, Fretheim notes how reducing package sizes “really plays into our ability to fill a trailer—as you take more air or size out of packages, you can get more on a trailer. It was really important to engage our supply chain. It’s really difficult to find a supplier within the supply chain that we did not engage.” .

Bridgestone Developing SuperTire for Cummins/Peterbilt SuperTruck II Project Heavy Duty Trucking / January 6, 2017 Engineers at Bridgestone are working to develop super-low-rolling-resistance tires for the next Cummins/Peterbilt SuperTruck project. The goal is a tire with a 30% reduction in RRC (rolling-resistance coefficient), which equates to a 6% improvement in fuel economy, that still meets industry expectations for wear and retreadability. "That's a stretch target from our perspective, but we feel we can get half to two-thirds of the way there with our current tool box," says Steve Charles, vice president of product development for Bridgestone Americas. "At the same time we have to balance the wear and traction characteristics because the ultimate boss -- the consumer -- won't tolerate just a fuel economy improvement without good wear characteristics." As in the first round of the SuperTruck project, Cummins is the lead on this one too. Cummins will partner again with Peterbilt, Eaton, Great Dane and others. But this time, rather than using an available tire, Bridgestone has been brought onboard as a funded partner and is charged with developing a tire specifically for the project. "It's hard for us in the business world to allocate these kinds of dollars because we're always trying to be business oriented and value-proposition based for the consumer," Charles said. "The Department of Energy is helping with this research project by letting us take a clean sheet of paper and say, what if ..." The project offers opportunities to design the tires working as part of a cross-functional team. Tire engineers will be working beside suspension and engine makers, for example, and looking at many different interactions such as the impact of suspension function or torque on a tire. Charles told HDT this is a clean-sheet project, with everything open to consideration, including such fundamentals as casing construction, cavity shape and casing compounds. "Historically, the casing was off the table in fuel efficiency discussions," Charles says. "In the TBR (Truck & Bus Radial) tire world, you retread multiple times. In the past, when we looked at the rolling resistance of the casing, those compound characteristics typically lost overall their ability, so everyone has been hesitant to move in that direction. It's been the weak link. We will be looking closely at how to manage those tradeoffs on this project." Even tire size is on the table -- within the DOT constraints of pounds per inch of tire width, and construction, etc. They will start with the current tire size, probably a typical low-profile design, but if they find that some radically different tire size can carry the load, can handle the wear, reach the rolling resistance targets and be retreaded -- that's key -- then they look at it. "Who knows where that might take us," he says. "Will a totally new tire emerge from this? Maybe. For the agriculture industry we have developed smaller tires that can carry more load. Or, look at the tire we developed for the BMW I3. It's tall and thin and it was developed expressly for electric vehicles and the torque those motors produce. It's working really well." The Bridgestone SuperTruck II project will be looking at all three wheel positions. All three tires are likely to be quite different because of the need to optimize the tire for the wheel position. For example, engineers will have to consider the tractive requirements of drive tires versus the potential for irregular wear with steer and trailer tires. "Fleets just will not accept any trade-offs, even in the name of fuel efficiency." Charles says. "However, the emissions regulations are forcing us to do things that we aren't really happy about. We have to go beyond simply adjusting the tread rubber compounds and bringing the whole tire into focus, along with its working relationships to other components."

Car & Driver / January 6, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter earlier this week to bash General Motors for importing Chevrolet Cruze compact cars to the United States from one of its plants in Mexico. General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017 The tweet prompted the automaker to issue the following brief statement, which is included here in its entirety: General Motors manufactures the Chevrolet Cruze sedan in Lordstown, Ohio. All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in the U.S. are built in GM’s assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for global markets in Mexico, with a small number sold in the U.S. It all seemed like much ado about very little, what with Trump’s track record of not quite getting all his facts straight regarding automakers’ manufacturing sites and importation plans, and GM saying that it shipped just 4500 four-door hatchbacks to the United States among the 188,876 Cruzes it delivered to dealers last year. But then, curiously, it turns out that there actually are several brand-new Mexico-made 2017 Chevrolet Cruze sedans for sale on U.S. dealer lots. In addition, that number won’t be quite as low as 4500 this year; the hatchback only just went on sale here in fall 2016, and a full year of sales could mean that as many as 10,000 to 15,000 Cruze hatchbacks will be imported from Mexico. GM has confirmed to Car and Driver that it will continue to source U.S.-market hatchbacks from its Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, plant for the foreseeable future. “So long as there’s customer demand, we’ll keep making them [in Mexico] for the U.S. market,” Pat Morrissey, GM’s corporate news relations director, told us. It was another Twitter user, automotive writer Edward Niedermeyer, who first reported on the Mexican Cruze sedans, noting that the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) of many examples listed for sale across the country clearly indicate they were “Hecho en Mexico, All you have to do to prove that GM lied to the President Elect is to find Chevrolet Cruze Sedans for sale in the US with 3G1 VINs. When reached by Car and Driver for comment, GM’s Morrissey confirmed that the automaker had indeed imported some Cruze sedans from Mexico: about 8400 units from September through November, which, he said, was done to satisfy demand during the fall launch of the 2017 model. GM announced this launch strategy back in June. “We were very clear about that, very transparent about it,” Morrissey said. One of our editors visited a Chevrolet dealer near his home in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and noted some Mexico-made Cruze sedans on that lot, where a sales manager confirmed that those examples had been sitting unsold for quite some time. Morrissey added that GM’s January 3 statement was addressing vehicles that are being built at present. He said the automaker currently is assembling all Cruze sedans in the United States for sale here. “The fact that there are vehicles on dealer lots—those were vehicles supportive of the launch in the fall,” he said. Mexican leftovers, essentially. Sourcing additional Cruze sedans from the Mexico plant is unlikely to happen, both because of the current political climate—who wants to risk inciting another tweetstorm?—and because demand for cars in general has been falling. Indeed, GM announced in November that more than 1200 workers at its Lordstown, Ohio, complex will be laid off as the plant goes from three shifts to two and that the 188,876 Cruzes sold in the United States in 2016 represent a 17 percent year-over-year sales decline. (To be fair, 2016 was a transitional year that included winding down production of the old model and ramping up the new one, which can suppress sales numbers.) The saga may not be over, however. GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant is set to begin supplemental overflow production of the new Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover in May and the new GMC Terrain at an unspecified date this year, according to Automotive News.

CARB and U.S. EPA approve emissions modification for limited number of VW 2.0 liter diesel vehicles California Air Resources Board (CARB) / January 6, 2017 First approved modification is for “Generation 3” 2015 vehicles SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) today announced approval of an emissions modification for a limited number of the Volkswagen 2.0 liter diesel vehicles with a so-called defeat device. The vehicles eligible for this modification are referred to as “Generation 3” and appeared for a single year only, in model year 2015. In September 2015, Volkswagen representatives admitted to CARB and U.S. EPA the presence of a defeat device in 2.0 liter diesel passenger vehicles sold in model years 2009-2015. This device, in the form of a set of software commands, engaged the car’s emissions control system to deliver legal levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) when the car was being tested for emissions in the laboratory. Once on the open road and out of the lab, however, the defeat device compromised operation of the emissions control system resulting in excess emissions of NOx at levels well beyond legal limits. Volkswagen sold approximately a half-million of the affected diesel vehicles in the U.S. including about 71,000 in California. This modification applies to more than 10,000 of those cars in California. "This is one more step on the road to cleaning up the mess created by Volkswagen’s deception, but it is by no means the last step,” said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. “There are more modifications to come for other model years, and further penalties to be decided." Because of the presence of the defeat device, these vehicles emitted up to 40 times the NOx allowed under their certification requirements. NOx emissions contribute to the formation of ozone, and can worsen symptoms of asthma and cardio-pulmonary disease. About 10 million Californians live in what U.S. EPA considers severe non-attainment areas for ozone. Volkswagen is paying more than $1.2 billion to the State of California to mitigate past excess NOx emissions of all 2.0 liter diesel cars, including any future emissions these cars may produce. A partial consent decree approved by a federal judge in October http://www.cand.uscourts.gov/filelibrary/1776/Partial-Consent-Decree.pdf contains about 60 pages of detailed standards, requirements and criteria (known as Appendix in order for a proposed modification of these vehicles to be accepted. There are several different generations of engine technology in these vehicles, depending on their age. The current accepted modification is for 2015 “Generation 3” models only and involves the installation of a second NOx sensor and a new or replacement diesel oxidation catalyst. This modification will reduce excess emissions from the affected vehicles by 80 to 90 percent. Owners of the affected 2.0 liter diesel cars have the option of getting their vehicle modified or taking an offer from Volkswagen to buy back the vehicle. Lessees may cancel their leases without additional cost or penalty. Volkswagen must notify owners of vehicles eligible for modification within 10 days of this announcement. U.S. EPA's statement and other information is here: https://www.epa.gov/vw/announcements-volkswagen-violations CARB Modification FAQ is here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/vw_info/vw_faq.htm

Ford adds diesel, new V-6 to enhance F-150 mpg for '18 Automotive News / January 8, 2017 Engine is part of pickup's major midcycle freshening Ford Motor Co. is adding its first-ever diesel variant and a new V-6 engine to the freshened F-150 pickup for 2018 to further boost the fuel efficiency of its top-selling and most profitable product line. The midcycle freshening includes a new 3.0-liter Power Stroke diesel option available in 2018, along with other engine improvements, seven new front grilles, six new wheel styles, updated lights and interior tweaks. They are the biggest changes to the truck since it was radically retooled for the 2015 model year with an all-aluminum body. U.S. sales of the F series rose 5.2 percent to 820,799 last year, making it the nation’s top-selling truck for 40 consecutive years and most-popular light vehicle for 35 straight years. The growth in F-series sales last year easily outpaced the full-size pickup segment’s 2.7 percent increase. Ford's "A" game “This is their A game in terms of what they believe will keep the sales streak going,” said Dave Sullivan, manager of product analysis at AutoPacific. The updated engines should help improve the truck’s fuel-economy ratings, which haven’t beat Fiat Chrysler’s segment-leading Ram, even after Ford’s lightweighting efforts. The most recent F-150 with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine gets 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined, trailing the Ram 1500 diesel engine’s 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined rating. “Aluminum was only half the fuel-efficiency equation,” Sullivan said. “They’re now bringing the second half -- the powertrain -- to the equation.” The 2018 pickup is scheduled to be unveiled later Sunday. The optional diesel motor will be the first offered on the truck since it went on sale in 1975. “We’re continually innovating for our customers,” said Todd Eckert, group marketing manager for the F-150. “It’s a leader continuing to lead.” The biggest change, the diesel engine option, aims to appeal to truck customers who tow and haul more than usual. The 3.0-liter will be a variant of the Lion diesel engine that Ford builds for use in Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles. It will be produced in England. Ford did not disclose the vehicle's anticipated mpg. It also isn't saying what F-150 trim levels the diesel engine will be available on, and declined to offer volume projections. Ford offers diesels on its heavy-duty trucks and Transit vans. Different from the Lion engine, they include a 6.7-liter Power Stroke built in Mexico. The addition of the diesel motor is a nod to Ford’s competitors, including the Ram, Chevrolet Colorado and Nissan Titan, among others, which have added diesel variants. Analysts say it will also address the one weak spot in Ford’s EcoBoost engine: the loss of fuel economy when the truck hauls a heavy load. “I have no doubt when you combine a lightweight body, 10-speed automatic transmission, and a 3-liter diesel V-6, there’s definitely the possibility of tying or being the most fuel-efficient half-ton, and I wouldn’t rule out it becoming the most fuel-efficient pickup,” Sullivan said. Gasoline engine changes Ford is also making additions and improvements to the F-150’s gasoline engine lineup. The 2018 F-150 will feature a new entry-level 3.3-liter V-6 with a six-speed transmission. Ford is also updating its 2.7-liter EcoBoost, 3.5-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter V-8 engines, and is pairing the truck’s 10-speed automatic transmission with all three. Since its release late in 2016, the 10-speed has been available only on the 3.5-liter. Stop-start technology will come standard on all Ford engines. “We have a more expanded and capable powertrain,” said Peter Dowding, chief engineer for powertrain gasoline systems. “There are some pretty significant changes. … We’re chasing after every piece of fuel economy we can get.” The biggest cosmetic changes come in the F-150’s front end. In an effort to differentiate each of its seven trim levels, Ford is introducing seven new grilles, dropping the traditional tribar design. Super Duty style Many trims of the freshened F-150 will feature a design similar to the Super Duty pickup. Other examples include mesh grilles for trucks with sport appearance packages and body-color grilles for the Lariat Sport trim. The truck also features updated headlights, which maintain the C-clamp style that debuted on the 2015 F-150. The rear taillights and tailgates are also new. For the first time in an F-150, Ford will include precollision assist with pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go technology. Both features have been available on other Ford vehicles. The 2018 F-150 will be the first Ford to include a B&O Play sound system, and will have a Wi-Fi hot spot, a new feature for a number of 2018 Ford vehicles, the automaker announced last week at the CES technology expo in Las Vegas. The truck will hit showrooms this fall, but the diesel engines won’t go on sale until summer 2018. Ford declined to discuss pricing, although the base 2017 F-150 starts around $26,000, and the highest trim level starts at around $59,000. .

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Green Car Congress / January 8, 2017 Three years after first introducing the high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy-bodied Ford F-150, Ford is presenting the new 2018 F-150. The best-selling pick-up features new front and rear styling, advanced driver assistance technologies—including available Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection—and improved engines. The new engines include an all-new 3.0-liter Power Stroke V6 turbo diesel and enhanced V6 and V8 gasoline engines. Ford is previewing the new truck on Sunday during the FOX NFL Wildcard Pregame Show and will reveal it on Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new F-150 introduces an all-new, standard 3.3-liter V6 engine, with direct-injection for increased efficiency. The 3.3-liter V6 is expected to offer the same 282 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque as the previous model’s standard 3.5-liter V6. An all-new second-generation 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine features advanced dual port and direct injection technology, reduced internal friction and improved robustness—all for improved levels of output, efficiency, quality and durability. Like the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, the 2.7-liter EcoBoost will be paired to the segment-exclusive 10-speed automatic transmission for 2018. The 5.0-liter V8 also sees improvements in 2018, as the naturally aspirated engine features significant upgrades for increased power and torque. It’s also paired with the 10-speed automatic transmission for the first time. The 2018 F-150 also adds an available all-new 3.0-liter Power Stroke diesel engine, designed, engineered and tested in-house and paired with the 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s the first diesel engine offered for F-150. In addition to the segment-first 10-speed automatic, the Ford F-150 is now the first full-size pickup truck to add automatic start/stop as standard equipment across all models and engines. The new enhanced segment-first available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality allows drivers to set a cruising speed. They then use radar and camera technology to monitor traffic ahead to maintain a set distance between vehicles—even following a vehicle down to a complete stop. New, segment-first available Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection helps the driver avoid or mitigate collisions with vehicles and pedestrians. With a new available embedded 4G LTE modem for a Wi-Fi hot spot, customers can connect up to 10 mobile devices at one time, virtually anywhere. These technologies join existing segment-exclusive driver assist and convenience features that include: · Available SYNC and SYNC 3 with FordPass enables compatibility of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – plus mobility services to help customers move more efficiently · Available 360-degree camera technology helps improve driver confidence when parking and can help reduce stress when connecting a trailer—allowing customers to see more so they can focus on specific tasks such as lining up a hitch. · Available lane-keeping system is designed to help reduce unintentional drifting of the vehicle outside the intended lane. · Available Blind Spot Information System with trailer tow technology is optimized for F-150 to include the length of a trailer up to 33 feet; BLIS® uses radar sensors in the taillamps to monitor areas that may not be visible to the driver. The new 2018 F-150 goes on sale this fall. It will be built at Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

I always felt that the 6th generation (1973-1979) and the 9th generation (1992-1997) were the best. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series) Today's bloated and overpriced F-Series doesn't appeal to me like the earlier ones. I did like the 10th generation light duty F-250 (7700 GVW / 1997-1999). It was nice to get the extra payload without having to buy an F-250 Super-Duty.

a.k.a. "Monkey Wards"

Absolutely beautiful truck. Life doesn't get much better than driving a Trident.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only "stupid" people, or fools, would think that it is bad! We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2017

From a business prospective, why even bother marketing a Volvo with a Mack grille in a country market where Volvo brand trucks are already sold? In this day and age, manufacturers want to do away with product "overlap". Even GMC and Chevrolet light trucks have more visible differentiation than what we see here. Though they keep it out of the news, the company is in dire financial straights. Having sold everything possible*, and cut everywhere possible, it's ability to survive depends on the market. * Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) isn't currently saleable owing to its depressed market value. At any rate, American truck operators will soon be seeing the new Mack-badged Volvo in person.

I don't know when Danaher's Apex Tool Group began producing Craftsman, but production shifted overseas in 2010. That said, Danaher sold Apex to Bain Capital in 2012. Apex's brands include K-D Tool, GearWrench, and Jacob's drill chucks. Danaher also had Matco, but not under the Apex subsidiary, and spun it off in 2016 along with Jacobs Vehicle Systems and Gilbarco Veeder-Root into a new business called Fortive.

Prime Mover Magazine / January 5, 2017 After three years of collating quarterly registration data, the Australian Road Transport Suppliers’ Association (ARTSA) has now issued the industry’s first long-term analysis of key heavy vehicle market dynamics. “With twelve quarters worth of data available*, we can now identify longer-term trends that may have gone unnoticed by looking at quarterly results alone,” said ARTSA CEO, Robert Perkins, who summarised the last three calendar years of data exclusively for CRTNews. “Looking at the period between 2014 and 2016, what we see is a year-on-year reduction across the heavy trailer and heavy prime mover categories, and a small, yet positive improvement in both medium and heavy rigid truck new registrations,” he explained. “This year-on-year reduction in total new registrations has been a noticeable trend in previous quarterly reports, too, but with three years of full data, both the trend and its magnitude … become much clearer.” Perkins said Australia has thus developed a distinct “two-speed market”, where declines in the trailer and prime mover segments are faced with slow but steady growth in the heavy and medium-duty rigid category. “Overall, total vehicle registrations have gone down around 9.5 per cent,” he explained. “The trailer segment has been leading this trend with a drop of 23 per cent between 2014 and 2016. Prime movers followed with a 15.5 per cent reduction across the two years. “Meanwhile, both medium and heavy rigid vehicles recorded gains of seven and three per cent, respectively, across the same period.” Perkins pointed out that the trend was merely a historical observation and that future developments may follow a different pattern. “However, it has become clear that the market is shifting towards more versatile equipment for urban use – arguably because the urban freight task is growing faster than the line-haul equivalent. “While we can’t predict the future, it seems obvious that new logistical challenges and urbanisation are changing the very fabric of the heavy vehicle market as we know it.” *ARTSA registration data is based on information supplied by the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS). .

Stage 3 Results MAZ Trucks Press Release / January 5, 2017 All three crews of "MAZ-SPORTauto" team have finished the third stage of the rally-race Dakar-2017 and came into the TOP 20. Siarhei Viazovich's crew no. 511 finished in the 4th place. Now they occupy the 4th position in the general ranking. Alexander Vasilevski's crew no. 522 finished in 15th place and is at 11th position in the general ranking. Alexey Vishneuski's crew no.533 finished in 18th place and is at 14th position in the general ranking. Dakar's participants will cross the Bolivia's border and go up the mountains in the fourth stage between Salvador-de-Jujuy and Tupiza. The maximum height is up to 4000 m. above sea level. Aggravate the situation by the fact that the racers will have to overcome the first dunes in these altitudes. The total length of the stage is 416 km. Starting time of the crews at the third stage: 511 (S.Viazovich / P.Haranin / A.Zhigulin) - 10:56 (16:56 Minsk time) 522 (A.Vasilevski / D.Vikhrenko / A.Zaparoschanka) - 11:12 (17:12 Minsk time) 533 (A.Vishneuski / M.Novikau / A.Neviarovich) - 11:15 (17:15 Minsk time).). .

"Dakar 2017": The third stage - the third victory KamAZ Trucks / January 5, 2017 Karginova Crew third consecutive win in the category "Trucks" in the Africa Eco Race. The third stage "Tagunov - Assa", the length of 525 km, 433 km special stage. On Wednesday, January 4, the participants of the rally-marathon Africa Eco Race crossed the equator Mauritanian stages of the race, driving a special stage length of 430 km. In the third stage the first in the standings, "truck" was again the crew Andrew Karginova from the team "KAMAZ-master". "In general, we understand that today's special stage partly repeat yesterday. There was the same piece of dunes, off-road, only a portion of himself was long. We are pre-configured, we tried not to repeat yesterday's mistakes - not to pierce the wheel. And today everything went without a hitch, "- said the pilot. But Sergei Kupriyanov crew continue to pursue failure. If the first day of the race the athletes have lost precious time because of a punctured wheel, today about half an hour they had to spend on repairing the radiator, the failed. "Today we have been quite good sand, but somewhere in this area seems to have collected on the radiator fan, and maybe it broke for other reasons, but whatever it was, we drained coolant. I had to stop to change the fan, radiator mend. In short, it was a lot of work "- summed up the pilot Sergei Kupriyanov. And on the eve of the championship of "Trucks" was for one person less: only woman pilot of the truck on the Africa Eco Race Elizabeth Jacinto from Portugal completed the race early due to engine problems. Czech driver Tomas Tomeček (team Promet / Czechoslovak team) hailed the event as sad, but stressed that during the race can happen anything. "This is Africa, you never know what will happen in the next kilometer. This house we have some confidence here in the race, you can not be sure of anything, "- said Tomeček. On Thursday, January 5, the stage will be held from Assa to Ramsey El-Kebir length of 409 km, and all of which will make special stage. The organizers do not have to change at this stage, because this stage, according to them, is perhaps the most beautiful stage on the rally in Morocco. This is a real gift for pilots, so nice piloting. After the departure from the bivouac of the first stage will be held before the Moroccan town of Msida (Msied) in Tan-Tan Province, the region Guelmim-Es Semara. After that, the town road is very twisty and rocky. Then the path leads into the open carriages with a magnificent panorama. The good news for athletes: after more than 400 km of track will arrive directly to the bivouac. The results of the third phase in the general classification T4 A place participants A country Truck Result 1 Andrew Karginov Andrew Mokeev Dmitri Nikitin Russia Kamaz 4:28:17 2 Tomas Tomeček Ladislav Lala Czech Republic TATRA 00: 42: 23 3 Jaroslav Valtr Czech Republic TATRA 00: 47: 00 4 Miklos Kovacs Peter Chegledi He Tamas Hungary Scania 01: 23: 03 5 Sergei Kupriyanov, Alexander Kupriyanov Anatoly Tanin .