TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* USA - Oshkosh Wins $408.4 Million Order for Armored Trucks

Washington,DC,USA -Bloomberg, by Gopal Ratnam -Oct. 9, 2009: -- Oshkosh Corp. was awarded a $408.4 million contract from the U.S. military for additional blast- proof trucks, giving the company contracts to build more than 5,000 of the vehicles designed for use on Afghanistan’s rugged terrain... Today’s order for 923 of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles was announced on the Defense Department’s Web site. The company, based in the Wisconsin town of the same name, already had orders for 4,296 vehicles, Chief Financial Officer David Sagehorn said earlier this month. He said at the time the Pentagon had the budget to order as many as 5,244 of the trucks... Work on today’s order is expected to be completed by May 31, 2012, the Pentagon said. Military officials are considering an additional order of 1,400 M-ATV trucks for which they are seeking budget authority, Sagehorn said... (Image from army.mil)


* China - Top truck maker joins hands with MAN AG

Beijing,China -People's Daily Online -October 10, 2009: -- China National Heavy Duty Truck Group (Hong Kong) International Investment Limited company, a subsidiary company established in Hong Kong by China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co. Ltd. (CNHTC), announced that the company's cooperation program with MAN AG, Europe's third-largest truck maker, was approved by the Chinese government... CNHTC (Hong Kong) and MAN AG's long-term strategic technology and capital cooperation program was signed in July. The program includes a shareholders agreement, a technology licensing agreement, a share acquisition agreement and a convertible bonds purchase agreement... According to their agreements, MAN AG will provide truck and engine technology to CNHTC and its subsidiaries through exclusive licensing...


* Germany - MAN chairman demands clarity over bribery -paper

Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters/FORBES (USA) -Oct 10, 2009: -- MAN SE's supervisory board wants 'clarity' over the extent of the bribery scandal at the truck maker and has asked the CEO for a full briefing on December 11... Bribes totalling a double digit million figure are said to have been paid to help aid sales of trucks and buses, the paper said. The commercial truck maker has been subject to a bribery investigation by Munich prosecutors since May... Charges are likely to be filed by the Munich prosecutor, but not against top managers currently in office... Separately, German weekly said that MAN had replaced 'almost the complete leadership' of its distribution staff for the German commercial vehicles division in response to the bribery case...