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Related reading - http://trucks.autoreview.ru/_archive/section/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=149987&SECTION_ID=8183

Trailer/Body Builders / September 2, 2015 More power and more luxury are what Dodge Truck is highlighting for its 2016 model pickups, vans, and commercial chassis – upgrades that include a range of new optional features, including wider availability of its ParkSense package, which now includes a new front park-assist system. Where its pickup trucks are concerned, Dodge – a division of Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) – said it will carry forward two mid-year 2015 offerings into the 2016 model year: the Ram 1500 Rebel off-road package and Ram 1500 Laramie Limited super-luxury trim. All 2016 models will inherit a new center console design, with Bluetooth connectivity now available on entry-level radios for hands-free driving in all Ram 1500 units. The 2016 Ram 1500 will continue offering an optional 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine delivering 240 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to the TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission – a powertrain that delivers 29 mpg highway and towing capability up to 9,200 lbs., the OEM said. That’s in addition to the gasoline-fired 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, generating 305 hp and 269 lb.-ft. of torque, and 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, cranking out 395 hp and 410 lb.-ft. of torque – connected to Ram’s TorqueFlite 8 (ZF 8HP) eight-speed automatic. As an aside, FCA is redesigning the 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar for the 2016 model year. Depending on the application, the reengineered V-6 delivers fuel-economy improvements of more than 6% while increasing torque more than 14.9%, the OEM noted. Enhancements such as two-step variable valve lift (VVL), cooled exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) and innovative weight-reduction strategies boost the Pentastar V-6’s efficiency and performance, FCA added. Back at Ram, where three-quarter and one-ton pickups are concerned, the 2016 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty models – shown off back in June – feature a new fuel delivery calculation and turbo boost calibration for the optional Cummins 6.7-liter I-6 diesel engine. Jointly developed by Ram and Cummins engineers, those new tweaks help produce an additional 35 lb.-ft. of torque – boosting the 6.7-liter diesel’s torque output from 865 lb.-ft. to 900 lb.-ft. That’s allowed Ram to beef up the towing capacity of the 2016 Ram 3500 to 31,210 lbs., the OEM said. Also available is a 6.4-liter gasoline-fired HEMI V-8 engine cranking out 410 hp and 429 lb.-ft. of torque, Ram said. Other new tweaks to the 2016 Ram HD models include a five-link coil suspension with optional air suspension on Ram 2500 and a supplemental air bag suspension option on Ram 3500. The 2016 Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 Chassis Cab can now be fitted with the OEM’s optional ParkSense Package, which now includes a new front park-assist system, complementing the current backup camera offering. The feature improves total cost of ownership and reduces potential damage by audibly warning the driver of impending contact. Also new for 2016, just like for its Ram 1500 pickups, the entry-level radios in all Chassis Cab models are now available with Bluetooth. A new feature for 2016 Ram ProMaster vans is side window availability for its 159-in., high roof, extended configuration, along with a second battery option at the rear of the cab and new 20-amp auxiliary switches easily accessible on the dash panel. The 2016 Ram ProMaster City compact van, introduced last year, will officially replace the Ram C/V as the OEM’s Class 1 van offering, and is Ram’s second shared collaboration with Fiat Professional., with the ProMaster full-size van being the first. The OEM noted that it will continue growing the reach of its new Ram Commercial division, integrating an expanding network of 950 Ram and FCA BusinessLink dealers that are focused on the needs of commercial customers while helping offsetting commercial upfitting expenses via its “On The Job” incentive/discount packages. The "On The Job” program provides commercial/small business owners a variety of incentives and discounts to assist them in purchasing, servicing and customizing vehicles. Custom upfitting allowances, service contracts, Mopar certificates and cash allowances are just a few of the “stackable” incentives Ram said business owners can use at any of FCA’s total of 2,600 dealerships in the U.S. “Commercial customers in particular face balancing the challenges of opportunity costs, fuel pricing, reduced budgets, new technology and durability,” noted Bob Hegbloom, Ram’s president and CEO. “Total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations are helpful in making purchase and operational decisions,” he added. “For example, all Cummins diesel-powered Ram trucks feature a 15,000-mile oil change interval and a diesel exhaust brake that increases frictional brake life by three times the market average.”

A Visual History of Jeep Pickup Trucks: The Lineage Is Longer than You ThinkPhoto gallery - http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/a-visual-history-of-jeep-pickup-trucks-the-lineage-is-longer-than-you-think#1

Related reading - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Walter_Christie

With all the money you're making, I assumed you had an AEV (http://www.aev-conversions.com/vehicles/jk-wrangler). Must be nice to have a NZ job.........able to take 6 months holiday each year. No Marmite and Speights in Vermont though.

The world is full of viable engine options. Though Ford is cooperating with FPT (Fiat Powertrain Technologies) at Ford-Otosan, a unique situation, that's irrelevant when speaking of the US market. Offering a Fiat diesel in the F-650/750 would be a PR nightmare. Ford has always put on the face of the all-American truckmaker, offering Ford and other US brand engines (Most Americans don't know that the 6.7-liter Powerstroke was designed in Austria by AVL). You have a genuine passion and interest in Ford Truck. I do as well.......overseas. In the US, after Ford designed one of the most impressive heavy trucks in US history (HN80) and then sold it to the Germans, I don't lose any sleep over what Ford is doing here. The new 2016 F-650/750 is physical proof that Ford (US) is no longer serious about the truck business. .

Parents starve 3-year old daughter to death Philly News / September 6, 2015 One professional after the next - police officers, social workers, a doctor - yesterday testified that the abuse and neglect five West Oak Lane siblings endured at the hands of their parents was the worst they had ever seen. So bad were conditions inside the "hell hole" of a house on Sommers Road, that one of the children, Nathalyz Rivera, 3, died of starvation on Sept. 9, 2013. The 3-year-old’s skin-and-bones remains weighed just 11 pounds. Her two brothers and two sisters - who were between the ages of 2 and 9 - were covered in bite marks from bed bugs and fleas, their hair was infested with lice, they were dirty, didn't know their last name and didn't know how to brush their teeth, Dr. Maria McColgan testified during the sentencing hearing for Carlos Rivera, 32, and Carmen Ramirez, 29. "These children suffered from every form of neglect that I know of," said McColgan, director of the Child Protection Program at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Nathalyz was born with a genetic disorder that left her partially blind and unable to walk, talk or hold objects. After she died, Rivera wrapped her remains in a filthy urine-soaked blanket and took her to Albert Einstein Medical Center, Assistant District Attorney Gwenn Cujdik said. "This case is not just neglect, it rises to the level of torture and abuse," said Cujdik, who with co-council Richard Sax, sought sentences of 60 to 120 years for both parents. "This is exceptional, this is rare. This is the worst of the worst," she said. Clearly shaken by the testimony, Common Pleas Judge Sandy L.V. Byrd wondered how Ramirez and Rivera could allow their daughter to starve to death in such a wealthy nation and live in squalor so deplorable that Rivera slept outside in his car and Ramirez lived elsewhere with a boyfriend. "You turned your back on them and subjected them to terrible neglect," said Byrd, who sentenced both parents to 30 to 60 years in state prison on convictions of third-degree murder and related counts. Byrd said he gave both defendants consideration for having pleaded guilty in June, thus sparing their children from having to testify against them. He said he also took into account that both had been sexually abused as children - Ramirez by her great grandfather while living in Puerto Rico and an uncle, and Rivera by an aunt. But Cornish attempted to win sympathy for Ramirez by alleging that Rivera had abused her - kicking her in the stomach while she was pregnant and pimping her out to other men for money. Hoof painted Rivera as a father who never left his children, feeding them pizza regularly, while Ramirez walked away to be with another man. "Yes, he may have been a bad parent, but he did provide to the best of his ability. He did not abandon his children. Ms. Ramirez did," Hoof said.

Or more accurately, the lawmakers have always been in the pockets (under the control) of big business and the aristocracy.

What ordinarily prudent individual would cast a vote for president to an individual that doesn't "stop and think" ??? Of course, this is yet another "damage control" fabricated excuse, as we all know it is federal policy for all members of the State Department to use it's own e-mail system.........for obvious security reasons*. * Whether our government's always one-step behind computer security measures are secure is another matter.....but Hillary's were not as her e-mails are for sale on the internet. And, always arrogant, she still refuses to simply admit that she was wrong, rather she says that she "made a different choice". (So the next time you employer says you were wrong, you can reply "no", explaining that you simply made a different choice) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clinton: I didn't 'stop and think' about email system "You know, I was not thinking a lot when I got in. There was so much work to be done. We had so many problems around the world," Clinton said. "I didn't really stop and think what kind of email system will there be?" But Clinton did not apologize for her decision when asked directly, "Are you sorry?" Instead, she again said she wishes she had "made a different choice" and that she takes responsibility for the decision to use a private email account and server based at her home in suburban New York. Clinton added it was a choice that should not raise questions about her judgment. http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-didnt-stop-think-email-system-163911547--election.html#

The English language has long been one of the key binders of American society. It's important. I welcome legal immigrants, but we need legislation that ensures the survival of the English language in our society. Whenever I come thru O'Hare, the baggage handlers all speak Russian..........and claim an inability to speak English. If these green card holders have no desire to learn and speak English in the United States of America, they all need to return to Eastern Europe.

It is intriguing that this woman, with a proven gross inability to manage her own life, is garnering so much support from some people here for her refusal to do her job and simultaneously attempt to dictate how others live their lives. This thread began with someone stating that they were writing in support of this woman's efforts to live in accordance with your beliefs. And what beliefs she has..........she's been married 4 times and committed adultery with her third husband while married to her first.......what a bible thumping hypocrite. And she wants to impose her religious beliefs on others?.........what a crock. This mess of a person is representative of what is wrong with the fabric of America today. Obviously, this individual's actions are based on her personal desire to bask for a time in the media spotlight. There's nothing more to it.

All the US market heavy trucks produced today are disposable trucks. (Paccar still offers a few old generation models.....but not for long). Today's Mack brand truck, for example, is not the Mack truck that you identify with from the past. It's become a throw-away truck. The best way to attack it is to buy new and always sell before the warranty ends.

Actually, the "people" (ie. the masses) had nothing at all to do with the creation of our government............rather, it was created by the ruling aristocracy of the thirteen (English) colonies. And they ensured that power would remain tightly in their hands. When the people stand up to the government and take control for the first time, be sure to post an FYI on that here at BMT.

Friend, just when do you think the masses ever held the real power in our country?

Interesting to hear one of our politicians, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, acknowledge our government's decades long incompetence at the border, AND hear her point out that (as we all here still realize) the one and only language of the United States of America is English. http://us.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/09/03/carly-fiorina-trump-bush-immigration-english-pledge-sot-newday.cnn

The State Department employee who helped Hillary Clinton set up her controversial private email server will dodge giving testimony to Congress. Brian Pagliano, who worked at the Department when Clinton decided to install the insecure, homebrew technology, has been asked to appear before the Benghazi committee. But, according to the Washington Post, he will plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid giving any testimony.

It sounds as though Hillary was working for herself............rather than the American people via the United States government. http://news.yahoo.com/another-57-clinton-email-threads-contain-foreign-governments-205309673.html "Here's my personal email," Hillary Clinton wrote to U.S. special envoy George Mitchell on a summer Sunday in 2010 as he telephoned one European official after another in an effort to keep peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians on track. "Pls use this for reply," Clinton wrote in her email, sent from the clintonemail.com account she set up on an unsecured, private server in her New York home for her work as secretary of state.

Court records show that the defiant Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, has been married 4 times and had twins out of wedlock. She divorced in 1994, 2006 and 2008. Davis, 49, gave birth to twins 5 months after she divorced her first husband. The twins' father was identified as her third husband, according to records obtained by the U.S. News and World Report. She has been married twice to her current husband, Ed Davis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sounds like a real piece of work to me..........not sure what faith she is following.

DAF Press Release / September 1, 2015 DAF is to invest EUR 100 million in a completely new state-of-the-art paint shop for its cab factory in Westerlo, Belgium. Upon completion it will be the most modern truck-cab paint shop in the world. The Dutch truck manufacturer made the announcement today during a visit by Philippe Muyters, the Flemish Minister for Work, Economics, Innovation and Sport. The first cabs will leave the new 25,000 m2 large paint shop in the first half of 2017. DAF opened its Westerlo factory in 1966, where - in addition to cabs - it has also produced its own axles since the early seventies. The current workforce of 2,150 employees produces around 500 axles and 200 cabs per day for the heavy and medium duty trucks that come off the production lines in Eindhoven and in Leyland (UK). Grow capacity by 50% In the coming years DAF expects demand for trucks in Europe to grow and aims to expand its market share in the heavy-truck class to 20%. In addition, DAF also wants to expand its success outside Europe. To achieve this ambition for the coming years, DAF is creating a completely new cab paint shop at the DAF Trucks Vlaanderen site. Thanks to this investment, the production capacity of the cab plant increases with some fifty percent. Most modern paint shop of its kind in the world The new paint shop is 144 meters long, 58 meters wide and 26 meters high, and covers three floors. It is the most modern of its kind in the world, also thanks to the partners Eisenmann and Dürr, both leaders in the field of automotive paint shops. Eisenmann delivers the paint-spraying installations (spray booths, ovens and transport systems) and Dürr is responsible for the paint equipment. Amongst others, ultra-modern paint robots will be used with so-called ‘bells’. These rotate at speeds of up to 50,000 revs/min for the highest quality and maximum efficiency with reduced paint and solvent consumption. Latest innovations Next to quality and efficiency, the lowest impact on the environment has been a major focus point in the design of DAF's new cab paint shop. Many innovative solutions have been applied, including a special method to reduce and catch the inevitable ‘overspray’ when painting. Ultra-modern paint robots will very closely follow the contours of the cab, which means less paint is required. Lower energy consumption through new techniques DAF is also investing in the latest technologies to clean the air leaving the spray booths and ovens. The air is condensed so that it contains a relatively large amount of solvents, which burns automatically at a temperature of 700 to 800 degrees without the need for gas to be added and produces enough energy to heat the processing baths. The new solution not only means lower energy consumption. In addition to very limited amount of CO2 emissions, only clean water vapor is emitted. ‘Investment for the future' DAF president, Harrie Schippers: "The new cab paint shop is required for further growth both inside and outside Europe. Obviously, the investment of EUR 100 million in a new paint shop is also good news for the more than 2,000 DAF employees in Westerlo. It illustrates DAF’s confidence in the future of its plant in Belgium.” ‘Example of manufacturing-industry success in Flanders’ "DAF is a classic example of how successful the manufacturing industry in Western Europe and more specifically in Flanders can be," says Flemish minister Philippe Muyters. "That can be done by continuously investing in further increasing the quality and productivity and - just as important - in innovation. As the government, it is our duty to create an excellent climate for this and we are therefore giving this investment our full support. The new DAF cab paint shop, is a high-tech facility with numerous advanced technologies, particularly in the area of environmental protection. I am proud that Europe's most modern paint shop for truck cabs will be in Flanders*." * Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen), the Flemish Region of Belgium, is a Dutch-speaking area in the country's north, and one of 3 Belgian states. The national capital, Brussels, considered its own state, lies at the region's southern edge. The state also included the port of Antwerp, the former location of Mack Trucks’ European parts distribution center (PDC). .

Scania Press Release / September 1, 2015 Workwear with a vintage feel: that’s the theme for Truck Gear’s autumn collection, which is being launched today. Both flannel and stone-washed materials feature in the range’s jackets and hoodies, with the theme giving a nod to Scania’s history. Scania has launched its new autumn and winter collection, just in time for the beginning of autumn. This year’s vintage-workwear theme draws inspiration from the early 1950s. “The Gear Up T-shirt is based on a picture that I found in an old Scania Vabis catalogue,” explains graphic designer Lage Dahlgren. “So, It’s based to some degree on Scania’s heritage.” However, while the theme is vintage, this doesn’t mean that the whole collection is old fashioned. “We couldn’t make everything vintage, as it would have seemed like we only made old things,” says Dahlgren. “We’re living in the modern world.” Truck Gear is comprised of two distinct lines: Classic and Attitude. The Classic collection features clothes in Scania’s original colours: black, white, blue and red. The choice of colours makes the source of the clothes crystal clear: it’s immediately apparent that they are inspired by Scania. Truck Gear’s other line, Attitude, is more modern and influenced by current fashions. With the clothes based around autumn fashions rather than Scania’s colours, it was extremely important to produce a graphic identity for the prints that showed where the clothes come from. This was Lage Dahlgren’s job. “My task was to ensure that it was clearly visible that the garments come from Scania,” he says. “We’re continually trying to develop new prints. It’s something that we want and that the buyer wants.” Among the garments on offer this autumn are jackets, hoodies and beanies, with materials ranging from flannels to stonewash. Susanna B Hansson, Product Manager for Scania Truck Gear, says, “We have produced a wide range of jackets and worked with different washes, such as stonewash, for example. We’ve also used different types of prints, gum prints and glossy prints.” The clothes are available from Scania’s web shop from today. http://shop.scania.com/en/ .

Westport, Fuel Systems Announce Merger Transport Topics / September 1, 2015 Westport Innovations Inc. and Fuel Systems Solutions Inc., suppliers of technology for natural gas-powered trucks, agreed on a merger valued at $351 million to capitalize on opportunities when alternative fuel markets improve. The combination of Westport, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and New York-based Fuel Systems Solutions is structured as a stock swap for two money-losing companies whose annual revenue could reach $405 million this year. The announcement comes as expected sales of natural gas-powered heavy trucks for on-highway applications are expected to fall about 6% to around 3,300 this year compared with 2014, according to ACT Research, which tied the 2015 activity in the alternative-fuel sector to a sharp drop in diesel prices. That change lengthened the payback period for natural-gas trucks, which account for barely 1% of all heavy truck sales, well below past projections when diesel was at or near record levels. “We expect that the increased scale of products and consolidation of facilities will produce both cost efficiencies and enhanced products, ultimately creating value for all our customers and our shareholders,” Westport CEO David Demers said. In the first half of this year, Westport and Fuel Systems lost a combined $43.7 million. “Westport has a publicly stated goal of reaching break even by the middle of 2016, and the merger would only strengthen the company's ability to meet this goal,” the statement said. Fuel Systems CEO Mariano Costamagna said, “Bringing together these two premier companies in alternative-fuel technology combines our technology expertise and long-standing relationships with global OEMs, our strong shared focus on improving profitability and aligns our corporate cultures, creating an ideal fit.” The transaction includes a new business unit known as Fuel Systems Automotive and Industrial Group. The statement said there are 17 brands marketed in more than 70 countries through the combined businesses. Fuel Systems holders will receive 2.129 Westport shares for each Fuel Systems share owned, worth about $7.54 per share. Westport shareholders will have a 64% stake in the company. A fourth-quarter 2015 completion is expected. The companies estimated $30 million of annual savings by 2018. Demers will head the newly formed company, and Costamagna will serve as a senior advisor while also retiring.

Today's Trucking / September 1, 2015 Westport Innovations Inc. and Fuel Systems Solutions Inc. on Tuesday jointly announced the companies have entered into a merger agreement to create an alternative fuel vehicle and engine company. Under the terms of the agreement, Westport will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Fuel Systems common stock in a stock-for-stock transaction at a 10 percent premium. Following the closing, existing Westport shareholders will hold approximately 64 percent of the combined company and Fuel Systems shareholders 36 percent of the combined company. The move comes after the two companies combined lost US$43.7 million in the first half of 2015, according to Transport Topics newspaper. Westport has a publicly stated goal of reaching break even by the middle of 2016 and the merger would only strengthen the company's ability to meet this goal, said a news release. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals as well as approval of both Fuel Systems and Westport's shareholders. To date, shareholders owning 34 percent of Fuel Systems and 15 percent of Westport outstanding shares have each agreed to vote in favor of the merger. The companies' respective boards of directors have unanimously approved this transaction. The companies anticipate closing the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2015. Westport and Fuel Systems will operate as separate companies until that time. Traditionally, Westport has focused the majority of its technological development and commercialization efforts in the heavy-duty and high horsepower arena, while Fuel Systems has experience and focus in the light- and medium-duty products for automotive and industrial applications. Fuel Systems brings long standing relationships with several key global OEMs, including General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Kia, Subaru and Mitsubishi, according to the companies. Westport has key relationships with complementary global OEMs, including Volvo Car Group, Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler, Tata Motors, GAZ Group, Paccar, Daimler AG, Cummins, Ford and Volvo AB. Upon closing, the combined company will trade on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq under the Westport Fuel Systems name and be headquartered in Vancouver, BC, with a new business unit called Fuel Systems Automotive and Industrial Group. This new unit will represent the combination of Fuel Systems with Westport's operations unit; its automotive division will be headquartered in Cherasco, Italy, and its industrial division will be headquartered in Santa Ana, CA. The transaction will result in a combined equity value of US$351 million based on the closing trading prices for the shares of both companies on Aug. 31 and combined annual revenues ranging from US$380 to US$405 million projected for 2015, according to the companies. "The merger of these two organizations, both rich in technology innovation and with proven track records of manufacturing, production and sales, will provide greater breadth of alternative fuel systems solutions as products and development engineering to OEM partners globally," said David Demers, CEO of Westport. "We expect that the increased scale of products and consolidation of facilities will produce both cost-efficiencies and enhanced products, ultimately creating value for all our customers and our shareholders. This transaction marks a milestone in our strategic plans, whereby Westport will realize increased sales and significant cost efficiency opportunities while continuing to focus on the development, validation and launch of its proprietary Westport HPDI 2.0 and enhanced spark ignition technology." Demers and the rest of the Westport executive team will lead the combined company, while Mariano Costamagna, who is retiring as CEO of Fuel Systems, will serve in a senior advisory position of the company's new business unit with additional titles in the organization to be determined at a later date. Top talent across the combined organization will be evaluated and retained based on the organization's new structure, according to the companies.

Transport Topics / September 1, 2015 Element Financial Corp. announced that it has completed the purchase of GE Capital’s fleet-management business in the United States and expects to close the purchase of similar operations in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand on Sept. 30. GE is selling the fleet-management business along with other financial services, including its transportation lending business, to focus on manufacturing and industrial automation. “The fleet-management industry is a primary focus for Element as a platform for delivering strong cash flows for our business, leading-edge products and services for our customers, challenging career opportunities for our employees and attractive returns for our investors,” said Bradley Nullmeyer, president of the Toronto-based finance firm. Element also announced the appointment of Kristi Webb as president and CEO of the company’s fleet-management business. Webb currently serves as president of GE Capital Fleet Services. Jim Halliday also was named executive vice president and will oversee Element’s operations outside the United States and lead the firm’s mergers and acquisitions activities. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/40699-ge-sells-fleet-businesses-for-69-billion/?hl=financial

Daimler Reverses Brazil Truck Job Cuts by Reducing Hours Instead Transport Topics / September 1, 2015 Daimler AG reversed course on the 1,500 job cuts announced last week at its Brazilian truck-making division, saying it will scale back hours by 20% instead as demand shows no sign of improving. The agreement with local unions guarantees jobs until August 2016, and the Brazilian state will compensate employees for about half their lost pay, the Stuttgart, Germany-based company said in a statement Aug. 31. Workers at Daimler’s factory in Sao Bernardo do Campo went on strike in response to the cuts originally proposed, which would have cost about 13% of the company’s Brazilian workforce their jobs. “The agreement shows that we can find fair solutions even in difficult times,” Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler’s commercial vehicle unit, said in the statement. Daimler says demand for trucks and buses in Brazil, South America’s largest economy, plunged 44% in the first half of the year. Brazil’s economic contraction is forecast to continue until at least 2016. Daimler already has shrunk its Brazilian workforce by about 3,000 jobs under a two-year reorganization, primarily through voluntary severance agreements. The company operates two truck- and bus-building plants in Brazil and is setting up a factory to start making passenger cars in the country next year. It employed about 12,000 people in the Latin American country at the end of 2014.

Your employees in Washington support the sale of U.S. company TRW to Germany’s ZF, on the condition that they sell TRW’s North American and European commercial truck linkage and suspension business to Japan’s THK Co. Ltd. You make the call. American-owned industry?...............Hmm, do we still have any? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FTC Approves Sale, ZF-TRW Merger Moves Ahead Transport Topics / August 1, 2015 The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved an application from ZF Friedrichshafen AG and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. to sell TRW’s North American and European linkage and suspension business for heavy and light vehicles to the Tokyo-based global machine component manufacturer THK Co. Ltd. The FTC said it required the divestiture as part of its June 2015 final order that settled charges that combining two of the world’s largest automotive parts manufacturers — a merger valued at $12.4 billion — would likely harm competition in the North American market for heavy vehicle tie rods. In May, the commission said ZF and TRW are two of only three North American suppliers of those tie rods. A tie rod is a rigid connector that links a vehicle’s wheels with the steering control mechanism. Because the tie rods are heavy, it's not economical to ship them over long distances, and as a result customers in North America predominantly buy from suppliers that have production facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico and do not consider suppliers outside of North America as viable options. The complaint alleged that the merger would eliminate direct competition between ZF and TRW and that reducing the number of competitors from three to two would increase the likelihood of coordinated interaction between a combined ZF/TRW and its only other competitor for the tie rods in North America. The parties’ divestiture of assets, the FTC added, also addresses competition concerns raised by the European Commission. The linkage and suspension business to be divested includes five manufacturing plants in Michigan, Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany and a research and development lab in Germany. The FTC vote to approve the divestiture was 4-1, with Commissioner Joshua Wright voting no. Wright wrote, in part, in his dissent, “The market for heavy vehicle tie rods is not particularly vulnerable to coordination. First, while the product might be fairly homogeneous, there are significant switching costs, including the time and cost involved with validation testing of the new supplier’s tie rods.” Wright said Urresko SA, a Mexican parts manufacturer, is a relatively recent entrant in the tie-rod market and has become the largest supplier in the market.