kscarbel2

I would never buy a Volkswagen today, particularly if it rested on the new cheaper-for-VW-to-build "MQB" platform. Ford of Europe builds superb cars, however when they're brought over to the North American market and homologated, they are also subtly decontented and you lose the quality and many powertrain options available on the continent. If Ford brings the diesel Everest to North America (allegedly to be rebadged as Bronco) and doesn't change it to death, you'll be standing behind me in line to order one. If I had to buy a "car", for example in the size range you have in mind........something with the flexibility of the Golf Sportwagen (or predecessor Jetta Sportwagen in the U.S. market) that's available in the US market, that's a very tough dilemma. There's really nothing out there. If you wanted a VW, you can't get the Touran, Sharan, Golf Sportsvan or Passat Estate here (http://en.volkswagen.com/en/models.html). If a wagen, you can't get the superb Octavia Combi (http://www.skoda-auto.com/en/models/new-octavia-combi/overview/). You can't get the Honda CRV diesel, or the Highlander with the advanced new fuel-saving direct injection D-4ST.

If you had come to the December 2015 BMT Investors meeting in St. Maarten (Barry never disappoints), you would have bought into NAV at $6 in January, and could sell tomorrow at $14. Why you pay the annual fee but rarely attend functions is beyond many of us. BMT Investors has never announced a buy recommendation on Cummins. That purchase was your call.

Navistar, union motor along at local plant The Springfield News-Sun / September 5, 2016 A local union representing more than 1,500 area residents is seeing growth just a few years after local officials feared Navistar’s Springfield facility might close. Instead, union leaders and company officials worked together and recently secured two major deals with GM expected to bring about 600 jobs to Springfield. Navistar has seen signs of success in Clark County after the company has faced struggles in recent years due to a failed engine technology. As recently as 2010, local officials have said the Springfield facility had as few as 300 workers. But the company has since changed its top management, cut hundreds of jobs at its corporate offices and sold off parts of its business. The Springfield facility has benefited, and had closer to 1,500 workers even before the company announced two separate joint agreements with GM. In part that’s because of the relationship union officials have forged with the company’s top management, said Jason Barlow, president of the UAW Local 402, which represents most of the facility’s workers. “At the end of the day, we have to keep our membership building quality products for our customers or we won’t have jobs,” Barlow said. Last year, the truckmaker announced a deal with GM to build medium-duty trucks in Springfield with a pledge to add as many as 300 jobs over three years. This summer, the company reached a second deal with GM to add an additional 300 jobs in which workers will build a cutaway model of GM’s G Van beginning early next year. The company has already begun to ramp up hiring, and will reopen a manufacturing line in Springfield that had been closed since about 2001 to build the vans. The company is now hiring between 20 and 25 people per week in preparation for new production, Barlow said. That means a boost for the union’s membership as well, many of whom joined the UAW since 2011. “We feel this is a much-needed boost and reassurance, and Navistar said they want to make this a flagship facility,” Barlow said of the Springfield plant. Another change could be on the horizon. Rueters reported Monday that Volkswagen will take a roughly 20 percent stake in Navistar International Corp for around $16 per share as part of a partnership deal. Reuters reported that Volkswagen’s trucks division is close to announcing a partnership with Navistar, in the latest example of a deal driven by emissions regulations. Navistar officials could not be reached for additional comments on Monday. In June, Navistar announced it turned a small profit for the first time since the third quarter of 2012. Analysts said the achievement was significant but should be kept in perspective because the company also lowered its estimate for future earnings. Navistar is expected to release its third quarter earnings report later this week.

Scania offers FAR alternative fuel options than Cummins, and they design them in-house. The Cummins-Westport engines are mediocre, and their exhaust aftertreatment technology (Cummins Filtration) is 2 steps behind the global leaders in the field. Cummins is sucking wind. Navistar is looking good. But having said that, engine options are limited. Some people don't like Cummins. Navistar must have at least two engine options (it's a shame one can no longer get a Detroit in an International, thanks to Daimler). The tie-up with VW will result in Navistar's current engine supplier, MAN, providing direct support the development of future engines to meet stricter emissions. And the Scania engines are at their disposal as well. This is going to save Navistar a lot of money and provide it with cutting edge engines far better than Cummins. NAV CEO Troy Clarke said that he wanted to form strategic partnerships.......not sell the farm. I can accept a 19.9% minority stake in return for access to MAN and Scania powertrains.

"The German auto maker doesn’t have engines tailored to the U.S. market yet, which it will now have to develop for Navistar" Clueless and incompetent reporting. Navistar's N11 and N13 are license-built versions of MAN's D2066 and D2676 engines. MAN is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Truck & Bus. All of the Scania (also a VW subsidiary) and MAN Euro-6 engines, can be easily adapted to EPA2010. The 15-litre MAN D38 (520 to 640hp) and 16.4-litre Scania V-8 (520 to 730hp) could be in the cards. This could be the death knell for Cummins in the U.S. truck market.

VW will take stake in Navistar to challenge Daimler in heavy trucks Automotive News / September 5, 2016 Volkswagen Group will take a 19.9 percent stake in U.S.-based Navistar International for around $16 per share as part of a partnership deal, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. VW's commercial vehicles division is trying to build itself into a global truck manufacturer having absorbed Germany's MAN and Sweden's Scania. Navistar is looking for a technology partner to build engines that can meet tightening emissions rules. Navistar is seen as an attractive target for VW because it has a large North American dealer network, something the German automaker lacks. Andreas Renschler, head of Volkswagen commercial vehicles, has wanted to get a strategic foothold in North America as a way to challenge Daimler, his former employer. The deal will be announced as soon as Tuesday, sources said. Volkswagen declined to comment, while Navistar was not immediately available for comment. Navistar has a market value of around $1.15 billion and has been on the lookout for an engine partner since 2010 when it failed to get approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its heavy-duty diesel truck engine. VW has agreed to supply engines to Navistar in exchange for a stake in the truckmaker, one source told Reuters.

VW said to be taking stake in Navistar in engine supply deal Reuters / September 5, 2016 Volkswagen to take 19.9 percent stake in Navistar Volkswagen's trucks division is close to announcing a partnership with Lisle, Ill.-based rival Navistar International Corp., three sources told Reuters, in the latest example of a deal driven by emissions regulations. Volkswagen has agreed to supply engines to Navistar in exchange for a 19.9 percent stake in the truckmaker, one of the sources, who declined to be named, told Reuters. Volkswagen will pay around $16 per Navistar share or about 200 million euros ($223 million) in total, the source said. The deal will be announced as soon as Tuesday, the sources said. Volkswagen and Navistar declined to comment. The financial burden of developing next generation engines to meet new emissions standards is forcing several vehicle makers to pursue partnerships and technology deals. In May, Nissan took a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors, while in 2013, Aston Martin agreed to sell a 5 percent stake to Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler in exchange for delivering next generation engines and electronics that meet the latest emissions rules. Volkswagen's commercial vehicles division is trying to build itself into a global truck manufacturer having absorbed Germany's MAN and Sweden's Scania, while Navistar is looking for a technology partner to build engines that can meet ever more stringent emissions rules. For Volkswagen, Navistar is seen as an attractive target because it has a large North American dealer network, something the German company lacks. Navistar, which has a market value of around $1.15 billion, has been on the lookout for an engine partner since 2010 when it failed to get approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its heavy-duty diesel truck engine. The two companies have been in talks about a potential tie-up for years, but Volkswagen has been distracted for much of the past 12 months by a diesel emissions test cheating scandal that has seen several top management departures.

The Wall Street Journal / September 5, 2016 Volkswagen likely to pay about $16 a share for Navistar stake Volkswagen AG plans to buy a minority stake in Navistar International Corp. to provide a foothold in the U.S. and bolster its global truck-market aspirations, according to people familiar with the situation. The proposed transaction, which could be announced as early as Tuesday, comes as Navistar deals with the fallout from a run-in over emissions regulations and a declining market share that has left it trailing rivals in a North American commercial truck market wrestling with a slump. VW’s plan to pay roughly $200 million for a nearly 17% stake in Navistar signals that executives at the German auto maker feel confident enough to expand strategically in the U.S., even as they work through the fallout from a scandal over the rigging of emissions tests on many of VW’s most popular passenger cars. The scandal has cost VW nearly $20 billion so far, forcing the company to slash spending and put any big acquisition plans on hold. Lisle-Ill.-based Navistar is still trying to overcome its own emissions problems. The company agreed earlier this year to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $7.5 million to settle charges it misled investors about its ability to comply with tougher U.S. standards on diesel engine exhaust beginning in 2010. Although Navistar neither admitted nor denied the charges, the company’s emissions strategy plunged it into a prolonged tailspin that has cost it hundreds of millions of dollars, halved its share of the U.S. heavy-duty truck market and wiped out about 80% of its market value over the past five years. VW has agreed to pay $16 a share for Navistar, a nearly 14% premium on Friday’s closing share price of $14.07, according to people familiar with the situation. Navistar had a market value of $1.2 billion at Friday’s close. In exchange, VW will get two seats on Navistar’s board. The two companies, which have been in on-again, off-again talks since early 2015, have agreed to cooperate on purchasing and developing new products, the people said. VW would be joining a board that already includes representatives of activist investors Carl Icahn and Mark Rachesky, who each control about 20% of the company. Mr. Icahn originally bought into Navistar as part of an attempt to combine it with specialty truck builder Oshkosh Corp. Navistar’s losses have driven its stock price well below what the activists paid for their shares. VW has long been rumored to be interested in Navistar. The German company is a powerhouse in the global truck market, particularly in Europe and Brazil, but doesn’t sell many large commercial trucks in the U.S. Rival Volvo AB produces trucks in the U.S. under the Mack brand, while Daimler AG owns Freightliner. Navistar draws most of its sales from the U.S., Canada and Mexico and has a limited overseas business, making it a potentially good fit for VW. Navistar also has a strong dealer network that provides service and replacement parts. Wolfsburg, Germany-based VW bundled its commercial vehicle businesses, including its European brands MAN and Scania, into a holding company in 2015. VW’s combined commercial vehicles businesses generated €34.5 billion ($38.6 billion) in revenue in 2015 and €1.7 billion in earnings before interest and taxes. VW is entering a North American truck market where demand has fallen off significantly after an elevated stretch of truck buying. Production of heavy-duty trucks this year is expected to fall by about one-third from last year’s near-term peak to about 200,000 vehicles. Trucking companies have pulled back on purchases after restocking their fleets with more fuel-efficient trucks in recent years. Navistar would likely receive a much-needed boost in truck and engine technology from VW. But even with Volkswagen’s deep pockets and commitment to growth, it could be difficult to quickly nurse Navistar back to financial and truck-market health. Navistar is saddled with about $5 billion in debt, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, and is expected to report another loss this year. The company, which has a large unfunded pension liability, hasn’t consistently earned a profit in four years. Navistar recorded $10.1 billion in revenue for its fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2015 and a loss of $184 million. Navistar ranks fourth in the North America heavy-duty truck market with about 11% of retail sales. Market-leader Freightliner has about 40% of the market. In between are strong competitors Paccar Inc. —the maker of Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks—and Volvo. Navistar’s market share in heavy-duty trucks is about half the size it was five years ago. Customers abandoned Navistar’s trucks for competitors’ models when Navistar’s strategy for complying with the 2010 regulations on diesel engine emissions undermined the reliability of Navistar’s trucks and caused huge warranty-related expenses to fix the company’s engines. Navistar had attempted to develop a proprietary solution to comply with the tougher pollution-reduction standard, rather than using the same exhaust treatment technology as the rest of the truck and engine industry. VW’s wager on Navistar isn’t sure of success. The U.S. truck maker has lost a lot of ground over the past few years and it is uncertain whether the two companies will be able to align their corporate cultures to quickly improve the brand’s reputation and its products. The German auto maker doesn’t have engines tailored to the U.S. market yet, which it will now have to develop for Navistar. It is also unclear how Volkswagen will position Navistar in North America in relation to its main truck brands MAN and Scania. Daimler has the benefit of owning a U.S.-based engine subsidiary, Detroit Diesel, and has been able to incorporate improvements in fuel economy and performance from other Daimler engines into the Detroit brand, which is well known in the trucking industry.

Donald Trump on Monday refused to rule out granting legal status to undocumented immigrants who remain in the United States, breaking with an immigration proposal he laid out just last week. Asked Monday whether he could rule out a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants, Trump declined. "I'm not ruling out anything," Trump said. "We're going to make that decision into the future." Last week in Phoenix, Trump said undocumented [illegal] immigrants seeking legal status would "have one route and one route only: to return home and apply for reentry like everybody else.

The change in regulations made the use of COEs in the U.S. unattractive. If the opposite had occurred, we'd see mostly COEs on America's roads today. Both the US and the rest of the world want their roads to last longer by controlling truck load distribution. But the US uses a means opposite of the rest of the world. We should allow 3-axle trailers and 97,000lb (44-ton) loads. The COE is more efficient than a conventional in mainstream applications. If we could carry more, in many cases, there would be fewer trips, which reduced road wear and congestion as well.

Yanmar engines are legends in the marine segment.

Some of the John Deere lawn mowers and lawn tractor do/did use Kawasaki engines. Selling cheap throw-away MTD-produced John Deere-branded lawnmowers at Home Depot/Lowes was a huge mistake. It devalued the brand.

Kubota makes a versatile lawn tractor.

Back in the day, half the trucks that Mack sold were COEs. Back then, many thought the COEs, the F-model, Cruise-Liner and Ultra-Liner were for the real, professional drivers. Of course, if your COE had the Mack V-8, that nailed it. To each his own, but I'd rather drive a COE over a conventional any day of the week. I can "wear" an F-model like my favorite pair of gloves, whereas the Super-Liner is clumsy with its long nose and wheelbase that kills maneuverability. If you grew up within the confines of the R/U/DM cab, the F-model cab felt incredibly spacious. And the Cruise-Liner cab, my gosh, if you'd previously driven R-models, felt huge! I've never understood those drivers who sit on the floor.

. . .

Owner/Driver / September 5, 2016 Trucks built across the last eight years affected by brake issues Volvo Group Australia has recalled 6,909 trucks across the Titan, Granite, Super-Liner, Metro-Liner, and Trident over brake pedal issues. According to an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) notice, the defects could render the trucks’ service brakes inoperable. "Potential failure of the split pin, used to secure the brake pedal clevis pin, may cause the clevis pin to come loose, possibly causing the brake pedal to fall to the floor rendering the service brakes inoperable," the notice says. "If the service brakes become inoperable, there is the potential to cause an accident and/or injury to the user or others." The affected vehicles were sold nationally between 4 January 2008 and 15 January 2016. VGA says "consumers should contact their closest authorised VGA repairing dealer and book their vehicle in for repair as soon as possible." The huge recall is the third by the brand since June. The first affected Granite and Trident models from 2011 to 2014 and the second impacted the 2015 truck range. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/46574-2015-mack-australia-truck-range-recalled/#comment-343521

Radical Islamist handed 10-year jail term in Australia The Guardian / September 4, 2016 A Melbourne teenager who plotted to behead a police officer in an Anzac Day terror attack will spend at least seven and a half years in prison. Sevdet Ramadan Besim, now 19, pleaded guilty to a single terror-related charge over his 2015 plan to run down an officer and behead him in a rampage that would ultimately end in the teenager’s own death. Besim was handed a 10-year jail sentence in the Victorian supreme court on Monday and must serve at least seven and a half before he is eligible for parole. Justice Michael Croucher said Besim’s planned “putrid act” was aimed at advancing violent jihad, intimidating the government and striking fear into hearts of the wider community. The murder plot would also terrify every law enforcement officer in the country and their loved ones, he said. “To the vast majority of the community, it’s unfathomable an 18-year-old boy planned to kill a law enforcement officer, to crash into him with a car and then behead him with a knife,” Croucher said. Besim chose Anzac Day to “make sure the dogs remember this as well as there fallen heros [sic]”. He said he was “ready to fight these dogs on there [sic] doorstep”. “I’d love to take out some cops,” Besim said in online chats with a UK teenager, where he discussed his deadly ideas. “I was gonna meet with them then take some heads ahaha.” The court heard Besim was radicalised by older, influential extremists he met at the now defunct Al-Furqan Islamic Centre, including senior Islamic State recruiter Neil Prakash. He was also greatly affected by the 2014 death of his friend Numan Haider and became alienated from mainstream society. Haider, 18, was shot dead outside Endeavour Hills police station after stabbing two counter-terrorism officers. Besim was with him in the hours before the attack. Corrections Victoria found a hand-drawn Islamic State flag in his jail cell last September as well as a collection of newspaper clippings about violent jihadis fighting overseas. One of the articles referred to Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, who gained infamy after his young son was pictured holding a severed head. Croucher said he was not persuaded Besim had rejected his radical beliefs, and protection of the community was an important consideration. “I’m not persuaded to accept ... he has in fact renounced violent jihadism.” Besim pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to do an act in preparation for or planning a terror act. The charge carries a sentence of life imprisonment. Besim blew kisses to a large group of supporters as he was led from the dock. .

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / September 2, 2016 .

The video looks great..........the audio sounds terrible. Why the use of loud obnoxious "bang your head" music, rather than a respected voice like Steve Brooks talking you thru the introduction ?

Kenworth Truck Company Press Release / September 2, 2016 .

Kenworth Truck Company Press Release / September 2, 2016 . .

Fleet Owner / September 2, 2016 Meritor has expanded its MFS Series of front non-drive axles to include a deep-drop axle option. “Our MFS Series already offers linehaul and vocational fleets a wide range of options, and the deep-drop feature represents an expansion that will help customers spec their vehicles,” said Joe Muscedere, general manager, Front Drivetrain. The option, which includes deep axle drops of 4.76 and 5 in., is ideal for auto hauling and refuse applications where lower vehicle ride heights are needed, according to Muscedere. The deep-drop axle, which includes a new universal knuckle compatible with Meritor EX+ air disc brakes and Q+ drum brakes, improves brake serviceability and vehicle packaging, he added. “The deep-drop axle design complements the MFS Series product line, which is known for its proven durability, superior vehicle control and longer lifetime,” Muscedere said. The axle features a one-piece forged knuckle design for improved reliability and longer service life. MFS Series axles also optimize performance such as sharper wheel cut to increase maneuverability. The deep-drop MFS non-drive steer axle is available in standard and wide track with gross axle weight ratings (GAWR) of 13,000 to 14,600 and 18,000 to 22,800 lbs.

Heavy Duty Trucking / September 2, 2016 Component supplier Accuride has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Crestview Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. Accuride’s board of directors unanimously approved the Crestview buy out and agreed to recommend that shareholders should vote to adopt the merger agreement. The company will be given a customary 35 day period during which it is allowed to solicit alternative proposals. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2016. Accuride will operate as an independent business within Crestview’s portfolio of companies. Accuride also recently sold Brillion Iron Works, a subsidiary of Metaldyne Performance Group, a provider of powertrain and suspension components. “Accuride will serve as a platform for further growth and consolidation in the global wheels and wheel-end sectors as we expand to serve our customers’ needs worldwide,” said Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride. “We are confident that under Crestview’s stewardship, Accuride will receive the resources and support needed to realize our vision of becoming the premier supplier of wheel-end system solutions to the global commercial vehicle industry.”