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First impressions: Detroit DD5 test drive Fleet Owner / July 29, 2016 Four cylinders in a Class 6 truck? Can a 4-cylinder engine effectively and efficiently do the job in medium-duty conventional truck applications? Daimler Trucks North America is convinced a 5-liter diesel makes sense, and—following the Daimler platform’s success in Europe—the market-leading truck maker is confident enough to kick off its entry into medium-duty engines on this side of the Atlantic with the Detroit DD5. Based on our 20-mile test drive through the heart of Napa’s wine country, the platform certainly has potential. Granted, a Class 6 Freightliner M2 106 with a 20-ft. box wouldn’t be most folks’ first choice of vehicle for cruising the famed Silverado Trail on a warm, sunny California afternoon—but truck editors aren’t most folks. And we did our best not to let the scenery distract us from the job at hand: putting the DD5 through its paces. (As an aside, we’re not reviewing the M2 106 here—but Fleet Owner Editor Jim Mele and American Trucker Editor Kevin Jones were immediately impressed by the truck’s turning radius as we pulled away from the staging area and made the U-turn across a narrow side road. Likewise, we had no problem backing at an awkward angle to position the truck for some photos at the end of the drive.) Merging onto a fast four-lane with the four-banger was as easy as putting the pedal to the floor—and then letting it up well before the end of a short on-ramp. At cruising speed, the noise-dampening touches clearly work: conversation was as easy as a chat in a full-size pickup. Running at 60 mph with the traffic, another punch to the pedal easily got us around a slow-moving RV and back in time to let a much faster convertible continue on its merry way. We were also impressed by the engine braking. With the toggle on the dash set to high, the system brought the truck to crawl so quickly the brakes didn’t need to be applied until we reached the traffic light at the end of an off-ramp. (At 50-60 mph, we really couldn’t get a feel for the less aggressive low engine-brake setting.) And while we can make allowances for seats that aren’t what we might like (a Class 8 highway tractor is an unfair comparison, but we’re spoiled), we did notice more vibration than we expected in the medium-duty truck when the M2 stopped at several lights along the route. But in stop-and-go driving, the engine—paired with an Allison 2500 RDS transmission—provided a smooth experience. We would’ve liked to have had the same truck equipped with the alternative power plant, a 6-cylinder Cummins ISB, for direct side-by-side (or ride-by-ride) comparison but, based on a “what have you done for me lately?” standard, we have to say the DD5 works as advertised: It’s an entirely capable engine with an obvious fuel economy benefit. The question, for customers, is whether or not specs make a good fit. For DTNA's initial target market, P&D, GM for marketing and strategy Kary Schaefer put it simply. “Why a 4-cylinder? Why not,” Schaefer said. "We’re able to do the job and then some, and that’s exactly what the customers are expecting. It makes for a better engine.” Asked and answered. Of course, the market provides the ultimate review. But if the global corporate clout of Daimler is behind a project, chances are the concept is sound. Ultimately, however, buyers—not company strategists—will make the call.

Motoring / July 29. 2016 Blue Oval's final Falcon Ute rolls off the line today, capping 55 years and almost half a million sales It’s the beginning of the end… Ford’s last ever Falcon Ute will be produced today, marking the end of an era for both the Australian automotive industry and fans of the iconic Blue Oval load-lugger. The final Falcon Ute – a white XR6 – is due to roll off the Broadmeadows production line in Melbourne at around 2:45pm this afternoon and will be retained by Ford Australia. Bringing to an end a model line that was first born with the XK Falcon Ute in February 1961, the end of two-door Falcon production precedes the retirement of the Falcon sedan and the termination of Ford’s Australian manufacturing operations on October 7*. * Production of the Ford Territory, based on the Falcon platform, will also end in October. http://www.ford.com.au/suv/territory Ford axed its long-running Falcon wagon in mid-2010, when the brand’s large wagon duties were essentially handed over to the home-grown Territory SUV. That vehicle – at least in its current form — will also be killed off in October. The passenger-vehicle-derived ute is a vehicle configuration widely recognised as being born Down Under with the 1934 Ford Coupe utility. Today marks the end of more than 55 years of continuous Falcon Ute production in Australia, starting in February 1961 with the XK Falcon ute at Broadmeadows and Eagle Farm in Brisbane. Seven generations and 467,690 vehicles later, and Ford Australia’s sole pick-up offering becomes the locally-developed, Thai-built Ranger – currently Ford Australia’s top-selling model. Ford Website - http://www.ford.com.au/commercial/falcon-ute Download a Ford Falcon Ute brochure - https://www.ford.com.au/request-brochure?ctx=m:1249112466582 .

This whole problem with Russia is really disastrous for America, for Russia and for the world. “Donald Trump is right. We need to figure out a way to end this cycle of hostility [with Russia] that’s putting this country at risk, costing us billions of dollars in defense and creating hostilities.” “The big issue [for America today] is can we, should we be able to create a new and positive relationship with Russia. It makes no sense that we are at the hostility level that we are.” “The question is, can we have a more peaceful, effective relationship with Russia, utilizing interests that are similar, in a realistic way, to make this world a safer place, and get off this dangerous hostility with Russia.” Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the owner wanted a ridiculous sum. Meanwhile, the owner has his prized possession sitting outside where the elements are taking their toll. A tragedy for the preservation of America's truckmaking history.

Ford warning jolts the industry Automotive News / July 31, 2016 Abrupt shift from April's confident tone After boasting of record profits earlier in the year, Ford Motor Co. last week dropped a profit warning as jarring as concrete blocks hitting the bed of an aluminum pickup. Executives said the automaker is spending more than anticipated on incentives as U.S. vehicle demand softens, generating less revenue than expected in China and facing at least a $1 billion hit over the next three years from the Brexit vote in Europe. One Wall Street analyst, Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley, called the abrupt shift in attitude a possible "watershed" moment for the industry, which largely had brushed aside bubbling concerns about plateauing U.S. sales and rising discounts. Many of the looming threats that Ford CEO Mark Fields laid out are issues other automakers also have to confront, but Ford is the first to acknowledge them so starkly. "We remain committed to our 2016 guidance, but we're facing risks to achieving that," Fields said after Ford posted a 9 percent decline in second-quarter net income, which fell short of Wall Street estimates. "We're seeing more pressure throughout the business for the remainder of this year, so as a result, we're calling for the second half of this year, and particularly the third quarter, to be much weaker than normal." The comments were a significant departure from Ford's confidence in April, when the company posted its highest quarterly pretax profit ever. "Essentially everything has improved," CFO Bob Shanks said April 28. "We're reconfirming all of our guidance to be as good as if not better than the record year that we had in 2015." Among the biggest surprises since April was the Brexit vote June 23, in which the United Kingdom elected to leave the European Union. Ford said it now sees a weaker U.K. market costing the company $200 million this year and as much as $500 million in each of the following two years. Ford results Change from Q2 2016 Q2 2015 Net income $1.97 billion –9% North America pretax profit $2.7 billion –5% Europe pretax profit $467 million 190% Ford Credit pretax profit $400 million –21% Revenue $39.5 billion 6% Cash flow $4.2 billion 121% Source: Ford Higher incentives Ford said it also has been caught off guard by U.S. incentives rising faster than anticipated. Higher North American incentive spending cost Ford $2.2 billion more in the first half than in the same period a year ago. Much of that was linked to the F-150, which came with little in the way of discounts during the model changeover in early 2015. But Fields said Ford has spent more than intended as automakers fight harder for market share amid slowing sales. Last week, Ford reduced its full-year U.S. sales outlook for the industry to between 17.4 million and 17.9 million vehicles, including medium and heavy trucks. That would equate to about 17 million to 17.5 million light vehicles, which still would rank among the industry's four best years. Its previous forecast was 17.5 million to 18.5 million, whereas industry sales last year including medium and heavy trucks were 17.8 million. So far this year, Ford Motor's light-vehicle sales have outpaced the U.S. market. The automaker sold 1,345,170 vehicles in the first six months, up 4.4 percent. That compares with an overall market increase of 1.4 percent, lifting Ford's share from 15.1 percent last year to 15.6 percent. U.S. sales of its top-selling vehicle, the hugely profitable F series, were up 11 percent in the first half, including a 29 percent surge in June amid an aggressive Chevrolet ad campaign showing the bed of Ford's aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup being gashed by a toolbox and a load of landscaping blocks. "The competitive environment has increased as growth has slowed," Fields said. "The bottom line is that we've seen a tougher pricing environment this [second] quarter, and we will face one going forward." Ford's warning contrasts with more-optimistic guidance from other automakers and suppliers recently. On July 21, General Motors raised its full-year earnings-per-share outlook, and on Wednesday, July 27, Fiat Chrysler upped its projections for revenue and earnings. A day later, supplier Lear Corp. said it would exceed its previous forecast for earnings and free cash flow. "A lot of obstacles' Shares of Ford, which had risen 10 percent in July, lost most of that gain Thursday, July 28, after the executives' warnings played into pessimism on Wall Street about the Detroit 3's potential for growth, even after GM's second-quarter net income more than doubled. "They've just got a lot of obstacles in front of them all at the same time," said David Whiston, an analyst with Morningstar. "It's not like we're on the verge of a recession, but the market wants to see growth, and they're not seeing it. There was already a lot of negative market sentiment around auto stocks, so Ford's news just gives more fuel to the fire." AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson criticized Ford during an earnings call on Friday for unreasonable stair-step incentive targets, saying the retailer's Ford stores had been given targets to increase sales in the third quarter by up to 40 percent. "Well, that's just not going to happen," Jackson said. "It's totally unrealistic, and we're not going to chase it. It is disruptive in the marketplace, and it causes irrational behavior, and there's a price tag for that." Jackson allowed that the situation could improve in three months if Ford's third-quarter targets clear inventory gluts while production is being cut. But the approach is still "not the best way to get there," he said. Jackson added that the industry is at a "crucial point" with three major automakers -- Ford, Nissan and Fiat Chrysler -- operating massive stair-step programs. Jonas, the Morgan Stanley analyst, said Ford's about-face shows that some of the plans put into place under former CEO Alan Mulally are backfiring as the market shifts away from the small cars that were widely seen as the industry's future only a few years ago. "Ford's prior leadership had made very large product and engineering bets on fuel efficiency across many areas including segments, weight reduction and engine downsizing," Jonas wrote. "While such initiatives are an important part of the long-term strategic planning of any global auto firm, Ford appeared to pursue such efforts with a greater level of zeal. These efforts proved successful in terms of share and profit in a $100 [per barrel] oil environment but maybe present a pricing and market share challenge in the current environment given changing consumer preferences, however short term." Fields said Ford has begun "an aggressive companywide attack plan on costs" to improve profits despite growing headwinds. Among the steps Ford will take are manufacturing cuts and improved "go-to-market plans" in the U.S. and China to generate more revenue, though the company would not say whether job cuts are possible. Ford already had scheduled five weeks of downtime in the second half of 2016 at the Michigan Assembly Plant in suburban Detroit, which builds the Focus and C-Max small cars. "We're going to have to deliver stronger actions on cost," Fields said. "We're going to have to go back and find every dollar of revenue that we can get."

At any time in the past, when General Motors was a force in the commercial truck segment, GMC was the brand that sold most of the trucks, rather than Chevrolet. Thus, I'm shocked that the Isuzu and Navistar trucks are going to be sold exclusively under the Chevrolet badge. Evidently, current GM management is clueless about its place in the commercial truck segment, not knowing that GMC is 'The Truck people from General Motors." Apparently, GM corporate now wants GMC to just be the Denali brand, home of absurdly expensive Ranger Rover-priced SUVs with liberal amounts of plastic chrome. A heck of a waste of brand value.

Bob, I hear what you're saying. But I can't imagine Ford exerting the time, money and effort to give the F-350/450/550 the F-150 aluminium cab, and then anytime soon replace it with a purpose-built medium truck cab. Ford certainly was a big player at one time in Class 7 and Class 8. But I don't sense that they want to be again. If they can throw a beefed up version of their diesel Super-Duty drivetrain in (mostly) Class 6s at minimal investment, and Avon Lake is building Super-Duty anyway, Ford can be in the US market medium truck game at minimal investment. One thought is, given the steel Super Duty cab is long bought and paid for, it can't cost them much to produce it even at low volumes. About Class 4/5, you are exactly right Bob. Businesses need a cost-effective work truck.

"no bodys having any trouble with thouse wounderful detroits" RW613, I never said that common rail can't break. I will say the Bosch and Cummins-Scania XPI common rail systems rarely do. I can't speak for the cheap-way-out Delphi retrofit common rail that Volvo is launching. But if this gentleman absolutely wanted to trade a Mack for a Mack, I gave him sound advise to pass up the outgoing Delphi unit pump injection and wait for the new common rail. My friend, it's getting expensive and challenging to operate an older (Mack-made) truck. Any parts you have to buy from Volvo cost 3 to 10 times more than they did from the former Mack Trucks. And as demand declines, parts availability from the aftermarket is declining as well. As much as I like seeing a "real" Mack on the road...................

My friend, I apologize for.....somehow......giving you that "feeling" (perception). The Bosch and Cummins-Scania XPI common rail systems is twice as good as the unit pump injection systems from those two makers it replaces, and 3 times better than the cheap and problematic Delphi unit pump injection that Volvo buys. Bosch and Cummins-Scania was at the forefront of both technologies. We launched XPI xtra-high pressure common rail injection way back in 2007. I've been experiencing it first hand since then.............not via websites.

Because social welfare Germany and the Works Council (union) won't allow VW to slim down to the size it should be*, it's only alternative is to increase profitabilty by making "cheaper" cars and sell them at the same high prices. Thus, the MQB platform was created. It's not a step forward in engineering and technology, rather, it's a "cheaper for VW to build" platform, engineered to be universally slipped under most of their models to reduce their per unit cost. You pay the same price as always, but receive a "cheaper" car. For that reason alone, I would not purchase a Volkswagen. * VW and Toyota build the same number of cars annually. Toyota does it with 300,000 people, VW with over 600,000. Though owned by Volkswagen, I would purchase a Skoda. Great cars. Though they have VW platforms, they are a cut above the VW brand product. VW allows Skoda a great deal of autonomy, because the unit has great management with strong profitability. http://www.skoda-auto.com/en Compare your Sportswagon with the Octavia Combi RS............http://www.skoda-auto.com/en/models/new-octavia-combi-rs/ If Ford brings the global Ranger and Everest to the US market, and doesn't ruin them by adding extra U.S. market features like engine fire mode, I'll be seeing you in the showroom.

This was the frustrating environment at Mack Trucks' Bridgewater, New Jersey, parts distribution center.

Mack Lanova-powered "NR" . .

Wow, there are no many.............(their discomfort with Volvo compelled them to diversify) The boys at Shealy.............http://www.shealytruck.com/ Triple-T...................http://www.wemeantrucks.com/ The great folks at Excel (formerly Virginia Truck Center)............http://www.exceltruckgroup.com/ You can check this dealer locator for more.............https://www.freightlinertrucks.com/Dealers/United-States/

The 567 has the new cheap cab (cheaper for Paccar to build) that is shared with Kenworth. The new range trucks, which are cheaper to build, restore profitability that was falling off. The new 567 that looks like a toy......http://www.peterbilt.com/products/vocational/567/ The traditionally built 367 with the signature cab........http://www.peterbilt.com/products/vocational/367/

When Mack sold the F-Model, Cruise-Liner and Ultra-Liner, they were our best trucks in many ways, particularly the extremely advanced Ultra-Liner, due to the spacious cab, unmatched visibility and unmatched drivetrain access. There "is" a very good reason why the rest of the world largely uses COEs. It's a more advanced design than the conventional. If you park a Pinnacle next to a Streamline, Actros or TGX, it will really open your mind. Come to the IAA int'l truck show in September......you'll fly home with a whole new thought process.

If you like the 122SD, there are plenty of mega dealers selling both Mack and Freightliner. And they have nothing but good things to say about the Daimler organization (unlike what they have to say about Volvo/Mack). The Cascadia is a cutting edge truck. However, it's not the ideal fit for your described application and personal preferences. I don't care for the direction Kenworth has gone. With Peterbilt, as much as I despise the new-school 567, I think the world of the old school 367. Again, if anyone has time, make a point to tour Peterbilt's Denton plant. When you watch them build a 367, you will be pleasantly surprised to see a truckmaker still builds trucks "like they used to". It can still be spec'd to be a 20 year truck. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A word about the Cascadia: . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A quick look at the 122SD .

Zenon Hansen injured by riding mower The Daily Mail (Hagerstown newspaper) / May 31, 1975 Zenon C. R. Hansen, retired board chairman and chief executive of Mack Tracks Inc. was listed in guarded condition at the Sacred Heart Hospital Center in Allentown. Pennsylvania, after being thrown from a riding mower at his home on May 28. Hansen, 65, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, sustained a fractured left wrist and right elbow, and first and second degree burns to both ankles when the steering mechanism on his mowing tractor broke and the machine overturned and caught on fire.

I apologize if I troubled you. I'm not telling a gentleman not to buy a Mack. Realistically, I'm telling him not to consider buying a Volvo unless it has the new common rail-equipped engine. "If" I understand you correctly, when I posted about how stagnant the Mack brand is with sales, it's because in the days of the former Mack Trucks, an organization whose leadership "knew something about trucks" (as the old man used to say), we........set the world on fire. Yes, even the superb Detroit engines can have a bad day. But anyone on BMT who runs the Detroits, not just Bullhusk, will tell you what great engines they really are.

Regardless of what happened at Macungie, I'm glad that someone gave him a break. As an outsider American (non-Swede) working under the Volvo environment, he is probably rediscovering life again. I hope he enjoys his new opportunity and it works out for the long-term. Philadelphia-based private equity firm Versa Management bought Hatteras/CABO from Brunswick Corporation (Mercury Marine’s owner) in August 2013. http://www.hatterasyachts.com/ http://www.brunswick.com/brands/

Hatteras Yachts names ex-Volvo/Mack executive Wade Watson COO Boating Industry / July 21, 2016 Hatteras/Cabo Yachts, LLC announced that Wade Watson has joined the company as chief operating officer. Reporting directly to Hatteras President and CEO John Ward, Wade will oversee daily operations at Hatteras’ manufacturing plant in New Bern, N.C., with a focus on improving manufacturing operations. Wade has more than 20 years of manufacturing, aftermarket, quality control and management experience. Wade’s previous experience includes several years working for Volvo AB, most recently as vice president and general manager of its Mack Trucks division. Prior to that, he served as vice president of operations of Volvo Powertrain – North America, where he previously had served as vice president of quality and customer satisfaction. Wade said joining Hatteras brings together two of his lifelong passions – the pursuit of excellence and a love of boating. “I am extremely excited to join the Hatteras Team in New Bern,” he said. “I spent most of my formative years in Florida living on the Gulf Coast and have been on or around boats for much of my life. My professional life has been mainly driven by leading complex operations on journeys to operational excellence.” One of Wade’s first goals at Hatteras is to improve operating efficiencies through systematic waste elimination, as well as building upon the strengths of Hatteras’ talented workforce to shorten lead-times from order to delivery. “My experience as an operations leader within the global automotive sector has afforded me the opportunity to learn best practices from all over the world,” he said. “The combination of the time-tested craftsmanship for Hatteras with the latest operations/manufacturing techniques should prove to be an unbeatable combination. It is a real honor to be a part of such an iconic brand at such an exciting moment in its history.” “We are excited to have Wade on our management team,” said Ward. “His dedication to operational excellence, combined with his love of boating, will serve us well. I look forward to continued growth at Hatteras with him by my side.” .

After 5 owners in 12 years, a former Ford glass plant finally has a stable owner Automotive News / August 1, 2011 Welcome to a huge and until now unwanted factory in the North American auto industry. It is the new home of Carlex Glass in Nashville. How unwanted was it? Try five owners in 12 years. Which is remarkable considering that for decades, without interruption, the plant has been supplying windshields and windows for some very popular U.S. light vehicles, among them the Ford F-150 pickup and Escape SUV. But today it's different. Now that the storm of the recession is over, now that less committed players have vacated the field, Carlex Glass America, the U.S. operating unit of Japan's Central Glass Co., is moving in. Carlex is one of many established suppliers that aim to turn the wreckage of the recession into opportunity by investing in new technology for the long term. The Japanese giant couldn't have picked a less likely spot. The dowdy, half-century-old plant sits on a hill overlooking downtown Nashville. Three brick smokestacks tower overhead, two of which were taken out of operation years ago. Inside, long lines of huge, gothic black machinery resemble locomotives abandoned in a dim train station. The lights are out over what seem like acres of wooden shelves holding thousands of sheets of dusty glass. The roof leaks. New methods, complex shapes But Carlex thinks this is the starting point for a play to expand its North American market share of windshields and side windows for cars and trucks. Carlex peered into the neglected behemoth and saw a dusty jewel. It has begun investing $100 million to clean up the plant, modernize its equipment, demolish traces of its obsolete past, boost its capacity and use it to solicit more North American business -- ideally from the Detroit 3. The company is betting on new technology, including a modern process called press-form. Unlike gravity-sag windshield shaping, the new process will permit greater manipulation of glass and provide the ability to handle more creative vehicle designs. The investment also will allow the plant to make thinner glass, according to customer desires. Thinner glass means less weight, which improves fuel economy. The state of Tennessee is kicking in more money to help Carlex retrain and update the plant's 450 employees -- a fraction of the 3,500 workers who once produced windshields and windows for Ford Motor Co. there. "Things are absolutely going to change here," declares Jim Shepherd, Carlex's executive vice president, who with his wife is moving to suburban Nashville from Detroit. Sitting in his barren industrial office at the plant, with little more than a gray metal desk and a couple of metal-frame guest chairs from the era of black-and-white TV, Shepherd motions around the room. "We're going to knock down these walls. We're going to get away from this 1950s atmosphere." Carlex will make the plant its North American headquarters, moving personnel there from the Detroit area, along with the suburban Detroit work force of Carlite, its newly acquired aftermarket auto-glass company. "This place has been neglected, and we're going to fix that," Shepherd says. "The employees here might be a little jaded and uncertain about us, having been through so many owners who wanted to get rid of the business. But they will soon see we're serious. "The biggest difference for us is that we're in the glass business. The others who came before weren't. They had their hands full with bigger concerns. Our only concern is making glass and windshields, and we believe this is the place to do it." That, more or less, is the status of the 54-year-old glass plant. But how the factory ended up at this juncture is a story that mirrors almost every trend that has come and gone in U.S. auto manufacturing for the past quarter century. The industry's evolution from Eisenhower-era Big 3 hegemony to the Japanese invasion of the 1980s, the U.S.-Japanese joint-venture supplier bubble, the automaker divestitures of parts operations, the rise of megasuppliers in the late 1990s, the private-capital supplier wave -- it's all there in the run-up to Carlex's acquisition of the plant in April. It all came and went. The operation, originally created as the Ford Glass Plant, already was three decades old when Gary Casteel moved from Muscle Shoals, Ala., to work there as a young pipe fitter in 1988. As the in-house producer of much of Ford's North American windshields and windows, it was one of the biggest auto glass plants in the industry, with 1.8 million square feet under roof. In the 1950s and 1960s, three enormous float lines heated the sand to 3,000 degrees in ovens that burn so bright they can only be viewed through hand-held black glass panels. One of the Nashville plant's most notable features is that, unlike most glass factories, it houses the entire process. Workers bring raw sand in through one door, melt it and cook it into flawless glass. They then shape the glass, finish it, package it and ship complete windshields out the other door to vehicle assembly lines. "I really don't know of any other plant in America that does it all," Casteel says. Casteel was elected to the plant's UAW Local 737 bargaining committee in 1990. By that time the industry was under unfamiliar new pressures. Detroit was struggling through its second recession in a decade, and domestic market share was slipping away to import brands. Ford was eager to find new cost reductions and operating efficiencies, even if it meant divesting itself of some of its large in-house parts operations -- an issue the UAW resisted. Today Casteel is director of the UAW's Region 8, a vast union territory stretching from Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina up through Tennessee and Virginia and into Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. "That plant always ran well," Casteel says. "We always had good labor relations." Japanese partner But Ford's component management team informed the union in 1990 that the glass operation needed to reach beyond Ford business. A new corner of the industry was rapidly emerging in the form of Japanese automakers assembling vehicles in U.S. plants. Nissan Motor Co. was expanding car and truck production just a few miles away in Smyrna, Tenn. Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and others were opening assembly plants around the lower Midwest and Southeast. But to gain glass business from such Asian transplants, Ford would need to form a separate joint-venture supply company in a deal with its large Japanese competitor, Central Glass. "They told us: "We don't want to do anything to hurt the glass plant here,'" Casteel recalls. "But they said we really need to do this deal with Central to get more business." The Ford-Central hookup was named Carlex, and the venture opened a separate state-of-the-art window fabricating plant in Vonore, Tenn., on the state's eastern edge. Unwanted orphan By the end of the 1990s, the industry was evolving again. This time, megasupplier mania was in the air. Individual component suppliers were merging and being acquired to roll up into multipart module and system supplier groups. The larger ones hoped to provide a sort of one-stop shopping for automakers, responsible for entire vehicle systems, including anything from a car's rolling chassis to its brakes and tailpipe and steering parts. Amid great hoopla, General Motors spun off its vast global parts operations into an independent publicly traded entity, Delphi Corp. Ford similarly spun off its huge parts operations, including the Nashville glass plant, into a public megagroup dubbed Visteon Corp. [huge mistake] Delphi went public in 1999 and Visteon in 2000 with visions of a bright future. But the ventures soon collapsed. In 2005, Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Visteon followed in 2009. By way of restructuring, Visteon identified 23 unwanted properties and business segments to unload -- among them, the Nashville glass plant. That decision in 2005 pushed the windshield factory off to new ownership by Automotive Components Holdings LLC, a safeguarding umbrella that sought yet another new owner. A former Automotive Components Holdings manager, who asked not to be named, said the group's sole function was to "hold" and operate the glass plant with the other unwanted plants until viable buyers could be found. Casteel also lent his time to finding a buyer for the plant. "We approached everybody," he says. "Nobody wanted it. The problem we encountered was that the only people who considered it were just after its book of Ford business. They thought they could move the business into their own plants and then close Nashville. We weren't going to let that happen." Private equity buyer The buyer who finally emerged in April 2007 was hardly a familiar auto industry name. Robert Price, a wealthy investor from Tulsa, Okla., had made his fortune in commercial real estate and oil and gas investments. According to press reports at the time, Price was at least partly motivated by his desire to save the jobs at Ford's other glass factory in Tulsa. The older Nashville plant, along with a third glass operation in Juarez, Mexico, simply came with the package. Price entrusted the operations to a newly formed entity first called simply Glass Products, and in 2008 renamed Zeledyne LLC. Zeledyne management drew from Ford's ranks of component executives, and the group took possession of the plants in 2008. The deal wasn't unique; Price was part of a trend sweeping the supplier industry. Private investment companies were acquiring distressed parts makers at bargain prices, running them with independent management teams and hoping to use private capital to improve their profit picture. Efforts to speak with Price or other members of the venture were unsuccessful. But Price's timing couldn't have been worse. By mid-2008, the U.S. economy was teetering. By the third quarter, a banking crisis had locked up the capital markets, threatening business plans in all industries. By 2009, Zeledyne was frozen in place, along with most of the rest of the auto industry. Although the new team invested in Nashville enough to keep it operating, by 2010, the plant was again for sale. Fresh investment at last Carlex's Shepherd declines to say how much Central paid for the Nashville plant this year, noting that its acquisition did not include the Tulsa or Juarez factories. It did include Zeledyne's aftermarket glass business, Carlite. Casteel believes the Japanese owner is in a good position to take the plant into new business deals. After 50 years of operation and more than 20 years of soliciting outside business, the plant no longer is owned by Ford. It no longer is owned by a supplier in financial trouble. It no longer is owned by a private investor with an unproven track record. It no longer is being starved for capital improvements. It no longer is in jeopardy of being closed. "We think we can help them get into GM and Chrysler now," Casteel says. "These guys are serious global players. And they need this source of glass. I'm pretty excited about the future there. We've all been through a lot with that plant."

Ford Brazil sells Class 5 to Class 8 Cargo product, from 8 to 31 metric ton rigids, plus tractors. Ford Otosan only sells Class 8, with rigids from 18 to 41 metric tons, plus tractors. Having said that, all the engineering occurs at Ford Otosan, the home of Ford Truck's global design center.

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / July 28, 2016 .

Street Insider / July 28, 2016 GE announced toay that it has signed and closed the sale of a 14.4% limited partner interest in Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., a full-service truck leasing, rental, and logistics business, to Penske Automotive Group, Inc. The sale represents ending net investment (ENI) of approximately $0.4 billion and leaves GE with a 15.5% limited partner interest in the business. In addition to the interests owned by Penske Automotive Group and GE, Penske Truck Leasing is owned by Penske Corporation and Mitsui. “As we continue to execute on our strategy to sell our businesses that aren’t linked to GE’s industrial businesses, we’re pleased to announce this agreement for the sale of a significant portion of our remaining stake in Penske Truck Leasing to our long-time partner, Penske Automotive Group,” said Keith Sherin, GE Capital chairman and CEO. “Penske Truck Leasing is a leading provider of truck leasing and rental services in North America and is a well-established global provider in the logistics business.” As previously announced, GE is focusing on its high-value industrial businesses and is selling most of GE Capital’s assets. GE will retain the financing verticals that relate directly to GE’s industrial businesses. Including this transaction, and since the announcement in April, 2015, GE Capital has signed agreements for approximately US$189 billion and has closed approximately US$168 billion of those deals. GE Capital plans to sell approximately $200 billion of GE Capital businesses worldwide and expects to have largely completed the process by the end of 2016. GE Capital believes it is on track to deliver about $35 billion of dividends to GE under this plan, subject to regulatory approval.