International Launches MV Series Class 6/7 Truck

[kscarbel2]

Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT)  /  March 7, 2018

International Truck launched a new medium-duty Class 6/7 vehicle called the MV Series at the 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Ind. The MV Series was the final piece of International’s Project Horizon product refresh, reflecting the company’s initiative toward improved cab design and includes the same driver-centric features seen in the company’s Class 8 vehicles.

“Project Horizon was focused on delivering new levels of efficiency to customers, creating unparalleled driver satisfaction and leveraging the smartest technologies available,” said Michael Cancelliere, president, truck and parts. “The MV Series delivers on those promises by combining uncompromising reliability with enhanced productivity for the driver, maintainer and upfitter.”

MV Series Driver-Centric Design

The MV Series was designed to be easily configured for the desired application. Features include new cab doors with a lower bottom glass edge and removed vent window, giving the driver a single large piece of glass to look through to improve side visibility and reduce blind spots.

By reshaping the doors and side glass, the position of the optional pedestal mirrors was optimized so drivers turn their heads less and keep their eyes on the road while reducing neck strain. A new gauge cluster with a digital driver display was added to give drivers real-time monitoring of vehicle operation and other important alerts in clear sight. The display also offers up to 15 customizable digital gauges.

The instrument panel features a customizable digital display which can be configured to suit the application. The flat-panel dash contains space for up to 30 customizable switches ensuring functionality for any type of body that is mounted on the back. The switches employ large text and are back lit for easy viewing at night.

A column-mounted stalk shifter was integrated to help keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The new stalk shifter placement and the lower instrument panel design improves leg room for the driver, especially at the knee.

The MV Series is also equipped with an improved HVAC system, designed for reliability, which includes a high-performance Max defrost feature. An additional vent has been added to help keep the middle front passenger comfortable.

Diamond Logic and OnCommand Connection

The MV Series also features Diamond Logic, an electrical system that streamlines chassis and body equipment integration and allows customers to program automated tasks. Through Diamond Logic, the MV Series offers customers nearly 200 factory available body integration and driver efficiency features, plus the ability to customize infinitely more vehicle functions.

“Our Diamond Logic electrical system is known for its ability to provide control and communication between trucks and body equipment,” said Jeff Sass, senior vice president, sales and marketing. “We were a pioneer in custom programmable chassis electronics and multiplexing, and we continue to partner with end users and body builders to further increase productivity and make it easy to integrate with our system.”

The MV Series can also be equipped with the OnCommand Connection platform which features an advanced remote diagnostics system as well as over-the-air programming that allows drivers sand fleet managers to initiate authorized engine programming over a secure Wi-Fi connection. OnCommand Connection telematics, including telematics hardware and monthly data packages, are also available through International Truck dealers or through OnCommandconnection.com.

Designed for Upfitting

“As a result of customer and Truck Equipment Manufacturer feedback during the design process, we have designed the MV Series to seamlessly integrate with any body solution,” said Sass. “This truck can be easily configurable for any application.”

The MV Series is available in a variety of specifications: regular cab, extended cab, and crew cab. It is available with the choice of either the Cummins B6.7 or L9 engine. The standard transmission on the MV Series is the Allison 1000 HS automatic, with Allison FuelSense 2.0, with DynActive Shifting as an available option that features a torque converter to provide variable shift points based on vehicle configuration operating conditions.

International is currently taking orders for the MV Series, and market availability is slated for spring 2018.

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[kscarbel2]

International unveils MV Series

Trailer-Body Builders  /  March 7, 2018

International Truck launched its new Class 6/7 International MV Series at the 2018 Work Truck Show.

The MV Series launch completes the company’s Project Horizon product refresh, and reflects that initiative’s improved cab design, along with the same driver-centric enhancements already launched in Class 8 vehicles.

“Project Horizon was focused on delivering new levels of efficiency to customers, creating unparalleled driver satisfaction and leveraging the smartest technologies available,” said Michael Cancelliere, president, Truck and Parts. “The MV Series delivers on those promises by combining uncompromising reliability with enhanced productivity for the driver, maintainer and upfitter.”

The MV Series was designed from the inside out with the goal of delivering a truck that is easily configurable to produce maximum output day in and day out.

The redesigned features include new cab doors with a lower bottom glass edge and removed vent window, giving the driver a single large piece of glass to look through, greatly improving side visibility and reducing blind spots. By reshaping the doors and side glass, the position of the optional pedestal mirrors was optimized so drivers turn their heads less and keep their eyes on the road while reducing neck strain.

Second, a new premium gauge cluster with a digital driver display was added to give drivers real-time monitoring of vehicle operation and other important alerts in clear sight. The new display also offers up to 15 customizable digital gauges.

The new premium instrument panel features a customizable digital display suitable for any medium-duty application. The flat-panel dash contains space for up to 30 customizable switches ensuring functionality for any type of body that is mounted on the back. The switches offer large easy-to-read text and are back lit for easy viewing at night.

Next, an easy-access column-mounted stalk shifter was integrated to help keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The new stalk shifter placement and the lower instrument panel design greatly improves leg room for the driver, especially at the knee.

The MV Series is also equipped with a new best-in-class HVAC system, designed for reliability, which includes a high-performance MAX defrost feature. An additional vent has been added to help keep the middle front passenger comfortable.

“The new International MV Series reflects our vision for the future of commercial vehicles with a host of advancements that support improved driver safety and productivity,” said Jeff Sass, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. “We challenged ourselves to make the best even better and this new vehicle was designed to provide the best driver environment in the industry and we exceeded all of our targets.”

To further improve driver productivity and safety, the MV Series features the best-in-class Diamond Logic, an advanced electrical system that streamlines chassis and body equipment integration and allows customers to program automated tasks.

Equipped with the Diamond Logic electrical system, the MV Series will get the job done with both safety and precision by offering customers nearly 200 factory available body integration and driver efficiency features, plus the ability to customize infinitely more vehicle functions.

“Our Diamond Logic electrical system is known for its ability to provide control and communication between trucks and body equipment,” said Sass. “We were a pioneer in custom programmable chassis electronics and multiplexing and we continue to partner with end users and body builders to further increase productivity and make it easy to integrate with our system.”

Like all International models, the MV Series can be managed digitally through the OnCommand Connection platform, which features the company's leading-edge Advanced Remote Diagnostics system designed to enhance fleet efficiency, as well as Over-The-Air (OTA) programming through the nine-pin OnCommand LINK device, enabling drivers or fleet managers to utilize a mobile interface to initiate authorized engine programming at the customer's facility over a safe, secure Wi-Fi Connection.  OnCommand Connection telematics, including telematics hardware and monthly data packages, are also available through International Truck dealers or through OnCommandconnection.com.

 “As a result of customer and Truck Equipment Manufacturer feedback during the design process, we have designed the MV Series to seamlessly integrate with any body solution,” Sass said. “This truck can be easily configurable for any application.”

The MV Series was engineered to make it easier to maintain and get back on the road fast. When service is needed, customers can count on one of more than 700 International dealers with expert technicians and an extensive parts inventory throughout North America.

The MV Series is available in a variety of specifications: Regular Cab, Extended Cab, and Crew Cab. It is available with the choice of either the Cummins B6.7 or L9 engine, both of which have been engineered for reliability and durability in order to deliver lower costs of ownership with maximum uptime. The standard transmission on the MV Series is the Allison 1000 HS automatic, with Allison FuelSense 2.0, with DynActive Shifting as an available option that features a patented torque converter to provide infinitely variable shift points based on vehicle configuration operating conditions.

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[kscarbel2]

 

[RoadwayR]

A nice update to the good old DuraStar/4700.  Note to Navistar:  the MV needs a smaller diesel @ 5L (maybe MAN can sell you one) and a gasoline/propane engine (maybe GM can sell you one).  

[Red Horse]

Wonder why no mention of class 4, 5?  I thought that was what the GM JV was all about??

[Maxidyne]

Non-compete clause with GM? And wonder what VW Group thinks of all this?

[kscarbel2]

By cooperating with Isuzu and Navistar, GM has successfully re-entered the commercial truck segment, with a broad portfolio, without spending any serious money. They have both bases covered, low cab forward as well as conventional cab configurations. And, they offer both gasoline and diesel.

However..........

GM's trucks should be under the GMC brand if only under one brand.

Most Chevrolet dealers don't know how to professionally sell commercial trucks.

GM, like Ford, rates a 1 on a 10 scale in sales marketing (promotion).

[RoadwayR]

GM is making Chevy dealers that want to handle commercial trucks jump through a lot of hoops to get the franchise.  Upgrades to service facilities, parts inventory, extensive training of sales and service staff.  Some signing up were medium truck dealers before 2009, some are building new facilities.  Chevy says they are on track to have over 400 medium dealers by the end of 2019.  As for marketing, I have no idea.  They are not good at marketing their cars!

[RoadwayR]

3 hours ago, Red Horse said:

Wonder why no mention of class 4, 5?  I thought that was what the GM JV was all about??

The International 4/5  version will be introduced later this year.  One of my sources tells me that the 'new' International MV is an interim refresh and an all-new class 6/7 truck is under development as another JV between GM and Navistar.  No idea about the accuracy of that report.  

[TS7]

GMC the truck people from General Motors, back when they sold there own REAL trucks built by GM. GMC now is a car sold at a Buick dealer. If I was a Chevy dealer I would not trust GM to keep selling these trucks. Where are all the Saturn and Hummer dealers today? What happened to the GMC truck only dealers that sold class 1-8 GMC trucks only?  Had a 1977 GMC pickup, I got it at a GMC Truck Center dealer from a truck salesman who only sold trucks.

[Maxidyne]

I know of one surviving GMC only dealer and I've heard there's a handful around the country. Here they hang on for nearly a decade with nothing bigger to sell than a one ton, and to reward them GM gives the new medium trucks to the Chevy dealer down the street?

[RoadwayR]

GMC 'division' is making FAR more money for GM selling luxo-trucks and SUV's then they ever did with the commercial vehicles.  Little consolation for the former GMC commercial truck dealers, but in my area it seems some are going to sell Chevy medium duties.

What happened to all the former Ford dealers that switched to Sterling?  Or the Brockway dealers that were left high and dry when Mack shut them down?

 

[kscarbel2]

Navistar Caps Turnaround With Overhaul of Top Truck

Transport Topics  /  March 8, 2018

Navistar International Corp. is rolling out the final installment of an all-new product lineup aimed at growing sales and keeping the once-struggling truck maker firmly in the black.

The International MV Series — Navistar’s top-selling model in the U.S. and Canada — is a familiar sight delivering beer and other merchandise on crowded city streets. The revamped medium-duty truck unveiled March 7 in Indianapolis marks the finishing touch on CEO Troy Clarke’s turnaround plan.

“As we’ve been introducing these new products, the issues we had relative to quality, productivity, cost and warranty have really fallen to the background,” Clarke said in an interview.

Navistar started a comprehensive product refresh in 2013 while fighting to stay out of bankruptcy. The overhaul has reversed a stock slide that began almost a decade ago when the company tried to lower nitrogen oxide emissions by recirculating exhaust gases through the engine instead of injecting them with urea, like the rest of the industry. Navistar ultimately embraced urea in 2012, but by then, half its market share was gone.

In the years since, Navistar has revamped its lineup and slimmed down its management ranks, cutting the number of vice presidents to nine from two dozen in 2013. Wall Street expects gross profit margins to exceed 22% by 2021, up from nearly 18% last year, with Gabelli & Co. analysts in December calling the company’s turnaround “Herculean.”

Continued gains would be music to the ears of Navistar’s biggest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who holds a 17% stake. Known more for activism than patience, Icahn paid an average of $33.62 for each of his 16.7 million shares starting in 2011, Bloomberg data show. The shares closed at $37.04 on March 7.

In a phone interview March 6, Icahn declined to comment on his investment, other than to praise Navistar’s CEO. “I think Troy is doing a very good job,” he said.

Right behind Icahn holding 16.6 million shares is Volkswagen AG, which has announced plans with Navistar to bring an all-electric medium duty truck to market as soon as next year.

VW is said to be considering an initial public offering for its own truck division, which could encourage the unit to increase its Navistar stake or buy the company entirely, according to David Leiker, a Baird Equity Research analyst. Clarke declined to comment on the takeover speculation.

Heavy Haulers

Mid-size, inner-city delivery vehicles like the ones Navistar is developing with VW provide a better opportunity for electrification than over-the-highway freight haulers, since they return to the same warehouse each night for recharging. Clarke predicts that by 2025, Navistar will have more electric trucks on the road than Tesla Inc.

But it’s the big haulers — Class 8 trucks — that are really driving the industry’s growth. North American orders for heavy trucks surged 76% in February, the second straight month where orders exceeded 40,000 units, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Next year could fall short of this torrid pace but not by much, Clarke said. Navistar now has an 11.8% share of the Class 8 truck market in the U.S. and Canada, up 0.7 percentage point from last year. The goal is to “pick up a couple of points a year for the next couple of years,” he said.

Navistar, which releases earnings before the market opens March 8, is expected to report an adjusted loss of 29 cents a share, the average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. While commodity price inflation could be a headwind, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Christopher Ciolino, Clarke said proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel won’t impact costs immediately, due to multiyear purchase agreements.

“This company has some great years and decades ahead of it,” Clarke said. “I’m behind, but it’s a level playing field.”

[TS7]

The two Ford heavy truck only dealers in Detroit area became Sterling and Ford. One is now a very large Freightliner dealer (selling way more then when Ford only). The other still sells Ford Trucks only, after Sterling went away. 

[Maxidyne]

Boyer Ford was the "big dog" Ford truck dealer in the Minneapolis area, started with a separate shop they built for trucks in the 60s, they ended up selling off the car dealership and expanding the truck dealership a couple times and added more locations. They transitioned to Sterling and by the time Daimler killed off Sterling they'd diversified into other brands and locations all over and around Minnesota. Some of the other dealers weren't so lucky, Towns Edge Ford in South St.Paul built a big dealership and haven't heard from them in years.

[EM6285]

I don't want any of Navistar products after all the problems we got and still have with their Maxxforce engines. 

 

 

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