User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: March 2014
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Mar 21, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * UK

* England - Truck makers struggling with Europe slump

London,EN,UK -City AM, by Marion Dakers -March 21, 2014: -- Commercial vehicle production fell for the eighth month in a row in February, though the industry body said there “may be light at the end of the tunnel” following several years of weak demand following the recession... British factories produced 6,235 trucks and other commercial vehicles in the month, down 22.1 per cent on the previous year. Just under half of the vehicles were made for export... “Early signs of a recovering European market are a glimmer of good news for UK CV manufacturers still feeling the effects of subdued demand and industry restructuring,” said Mike Hawes, head of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:53 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * India

* Indian truck markets explore overseas market regain volume 

(Photo: Asia MotorWorks' (AMW) trucks) 
  Mumbay,India -The Economic Times/Indian Steel Guru -21 Mar 2014: -- The Indian truck market is going through one of its toughest rides in the face of growing competition, domestic truck makers are exploring overseas markets to regain volumes... Truck makers have lined up as many as 100 offerings to be shipped to overseas markets in the next couple of years. Apart from the SAARC region, Indian companies are looking at Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and African markets... The acceptability of Indian legacy trucks exports never crossed the 10% mark was poor because they never matched up to global standards. But now, with the new range of trucks, they have become much more competitive in overseas markets... Truck maker Eicher Motors, for instance, said that it has changed its approach towards exports with its new Pro-Series range... Mr Dheeraj Hinduja, chairman of Ashok Leyland, has set his sights on Africa... Ashok Leyland's rival TATA Motors is also exploring the possibility of setting up assembly plants in Kenya and Nigeria in the future...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:49 AM  0 comments

* TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Germany: MAN

* Truck maker MAN wins orders from Brazil 

Frankfurt,Germany -Reuters, by Edward Taylor / Maria Sheahan -20 March 2014: -- German truck maker MAN on Thursday said it had won two major tenders in Brazil for a total of 814 vehicles... MAN, which is controlled by Volkswagen, said Brazil's National Fund for Education Development had ordered 500 delivery trucks to help distribute meals to public schools... MAN also said Ambev, Latin America's largest beer brewery, will receive 314 new Worker 23.230 vehicles, which are especially developed for the transportation of beverages in time for the World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:38 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Sweden: Volvo

* Sweden - Volvo CE says to cut 450 jobs in 

 Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Helena Soderpalm and Niklas Pollard -March 20 2014: -- Truck maker Volvo's construction equipment unit plans to cut 450 jobs in Sweden due to lagging profitability and an unfavourable product mix, its European head of production said on Thursday... Jorgen Svenningsson said the company hoped to be able to solve the issue on a voluntary basis and that none of the employees had been given notice. He made the comments after local media reported the unit was looking to cut 165 staff... Volvo CE, which makes excavators and wheel loaders, currently has around 4.500 employees in Europe... The Volvo group said in February it planned to cut a total of 4,400 jobs in a move that would involve staff also in its trucks business and in areas such as sales and marketing...

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Mar 20, 2014

TRUCKS OF THE FUTURE * USA & Germany

* South Caroline - Marchi Mobile's eleMMent RV - a luxury mansion on wheels

(Photos: MOBILE HOME by Marchi Mobile: eleMMent PALAZZO) 
Warrenville,SC,USA -Gizmag, by Jan Belezina -October 18, 2011: -- Marchi Mobile has launched its eleMMent series of ultra-luxurious recreational vehicles. Designed to offer a mansion away from the mansion, the series comes in three, fully configurable flavors and offers everything you'll never need on the road, including automatic boarding stairs, a flybridge and an operational fireplace... This mobile luxury villa resting on a DAF XF 105 track chassis features deliberately radical elements such as the highly conspicuous oval windscreen that make the it stand out at first sight. It owes its shape to something more than a designer's whim, however, as the vehicle's aerodynamic properties result in up to 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption. This eco-friendly touch is nicely off-set by a "truly sportive", max 530 horsepower turbo charged diesel engine, a rear diffuser made of carbon-fiber and a double tube sport exhaust. The vehicle also boasts an above average safety rating...
The eleMMent PALAZZO is a four wheel luxury mansion. The fully automatic, pop-up flybridge lounge with multiple bars towers over two floors that contain, among other things, a kitchen, a master bedroom with an integrated bathroom and a couch that can be converted into bar furniture at the push of a button. All the automatic setting-up and dismantling is handled via a touch screen control panel. An additional, mobile control unit with remote video streaming functionality enables the prudent owner to keep an eye on all the important indicators and play with lighting and temperature settings from afar.
This is Marchi Mobile's take on business mobility. The six business lounge swivel armchairs with massage features make eleMMent VIVA probably one of the most comfortable mobile conference rooms on the planet - or at least the road. The 8.2 foot (2.5 m) tall interior provides a lot of breathing space for serious business negotiations.The Visione is the only eleMMent vehicle built for the working class. It is marketed as a "superior tool to enthuse and inspire the superior target". It is essentially a mobile showroom that enables the display wares in style. The 39.37 foot (12 m) long vehicle offers 215.27 square feet (20 sq. m) to 430.55 square feet (40 sq.m) of display space... The three set-ups described above can be configured at will and can be fitted with pretty much everything you can find in a luxury mansion. This includes an operational fireplace (for use when parked), floor heating and a rainfall shower, not to mention such obvious conveniences as mobile Internet or a 40-inch flat screen satellite TV. To top things off, the more creative buyers can even design their own fluorescent coating pattern, which should make the eleMMent stand out in the crowd even in the event of a black-out.


* Germany - Radical Innotruck showcases emerging transport technology

(Photo from TU Munchen - The striking Innotruck vehicle is designed to be a testbed and demonstrator for experiment transport technology - Innotruck, with an accompanying electric car) 
Munich,Germany -Gizmag, by Ben Coxworth -April 18, 2012: -- Last November, Mercedes showed off its futuristic Aero Trailer concept at a transport truck show in Belgium. While it certainly looked quite sleek and efficient, it certainly wasn’t as eye-popping as the full tractor/trailer combo that will be on display later this month in Germany. Known as Innotruck, the bizarre vehicle is part of Technische Universität München (Technical University Munich)’s Diesel Reloaded project... Innotruck is intended to serve as both a testbed and a demonstration vehicle for a number of emerging technologies. These include drive-by-wire operation, car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications, and plug-and-play applications... The electric vehicle also has displays and controls that can adapt to each driver’s capabilities, and to constantly-changing conditions such as traffic flow and driver alertness. This ensures that the driver will never be deluged with more information than they need for the task currently at hand, but will also automatically receive data as it is needed... Energy management is another major focus of Innotruck. Described as a “micro smart grid,” the vehicle is able to manage the energy flow not only from its battery pack, but also from onboard solar cells, wind turbines and regenerative brakes. It even features electrical outlets along its sides, so other vehicles can recharge from it when it’s stopped, and so it can release energy into the municipal grid...


* Arkansas / USA - Walmart created a futuristic transport truck

  Bentonville,ARK,USA -Gizmag, by Ben Coxworth -March 4, 2014: -- Walmart plans on doubling the fuel efficiency of its trucking fleet by next year. In order to show that it's not kidding around, the retailer has collaborated with Peterbilt, Great Dane Trailers, and Capstone Turbine to create a concept "truck of tomorrow" known as the Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience – or WAVE... The vehicle features what Walmart describes as a "prototype advanced turbine-powered, range-extending series hybrid powertrain (or microturbine-hybrid powertrain) combined with an electric motor and battery storage system." It can reportedly run on diesel, natural gas, biodiesel "and probably other fuels still to be developed" ... Additionally, it is said to be 20 percent more aerodynamic than the company's existing trucks... The trailer is reportedly the first one to ever be built completely of carbon fiber, and also incorporates the first 53-foot-long (16 m) one-piece carbon fiber panels ever made. The use of that material results in claimed weight savings of approximately 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) over a conventional trailer. Both its aerodynamics and its cargo capacity are boosted by a convex nose that sits flush the concave backside of the tractor...

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* Ukraine - Russian vehicles truck fleet confiscated

* Ukraine - National Guard to replenish truck fleet with confiscated Russian vehicles

(Photo from Itar-TASS: Russia's KAMAZ truck maker insists on return of its property worth 600 million rubles -$16.5 million- seized in Ukraine's Chernigov region)
Kharkiv,Ukraine -ITAR-TASS -March 18, 2014: -- Russia's KAMAZ truck maker insists on return of its property worth 600 million rubles ($16.5 million) seized in Ukraine's Chernigov region... The 50 Russian trucks seized by Ukrainian ultranationalists, as well as vehicles confiscated from civilians and small businesses will be used to replenish the truck fleet of National Guard, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the Svoboda (Freedom) faction in the Ukrainian parliament said on conditions of anonymity... On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities ordered the Chernigov region governor to set up a commission to decide on KAMAZ property which is now controlled by the "Maidan" supporters... March 17, “The Maidan” fighters, threatening the use of weapons, commandeered 50 KAMAZ trucks and returned them to warehouses in the Chernigov region. The truck maker's administration had planned to move the batch to Kazakhstan. Then “The Maidan” supporters took control over the warehouses with KAMAZ property in Chernigov with 150 trucks and some 50 trailers worth some 6000 million rubles ($16.5 million)...

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TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Scania / VW / Volvo

* Sweden - Truck maker’s PLM model a focus in Volkswagen’s war over ownership 

Stockholm,Sweden -Engineering -March 19, 2014: -- Can a great product realization system and PLM boost the share value of truck maker Scania? This question arises from the ongoing tug of war over the ownership of this OMX NASDAQ listed company... Currently the German automotive giant Volkswagen Group and its subsidiary truck manufacturer MAN holds 60-70% of Scania's shares. Now VW have offered to buy the remaining stock at approximately $ 31 per share... Scania struck an independent committee to evaluate the offer. Today, the Committee announced that, "The bid does not reflect Scania's long-term value"... One of the crucial factors in the committee's assessment is Scania's production development model, considered by many to be "world class". Scania trucks are of high quality and produced under a lean- and modular production system inspired by Toyota. This system is a leader in the heavy truck industry... 


* Sweden - Cevian says Scania VW merger will help Volvo lift profits 

Stockholm,Sweden -Bloomberg News, by By Veronica Ek / Niklas Magnusson /James Ludden and Chad Thomas -March 19, 2014: -- Volkswagen AG planned $9.3 billion takeover of truckmaker Scania AB may help rival Volvo AB reach targets set by activist shareholder Cevian Capital AB... Volvo’s second-largest shareholder has been lobbying the Swedish truckmaker to streamline operations and boost margins that lag behind those of other truckmakers. A combination between Scania and VW-controlled MAN SE could be a boon for Volvo, and help the company gain market share, Cevian Chief Executive Officer Christer Gardell said... VW offered 6.7 billion euros on Feb. 21 for the shares in Scania it doesn’t already own to create a global heavy-trucks unit that can compete with industry leaders Daimler AG and Volvo. The latter is reducing white-collar headcount and research and development costs to reach its target of giving its truck, construction-equipment and bus units the highest operating margins in their segments... With about 9.5 billion euros in assets under management, Cevian holds stakes in companies such as U.K. security services firm G4S Plc, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp AG, and Danske Bank A/S., it held 11 percent of the voting rights in Volvo as of Dec. 30 last year, according to information on the truckmaker’s website... Cevian now controls 10 percent to 15 percent of the votes, declining to specify the exact amount...


* Sweden - Volvo truck deliveries jump 28 percent year on year in Feb

(Photo: Volvo Chief Executive Olof Persson gestures during a news conference in Stockholm October 25, 2013. Volvo AB truck maker presented the resul Volvo Chief Executive Olof Persson gestures during a news conference in Stockholm) 
Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by David Holmes -20 March 2014: --  World number two truck maker Volvo said on Thursday shipments of its trucks rose 28 percent year-on-year in February, topping market expectations... The mean forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts was for deliveries to rise 19 percent rise... Volvo, which sells trucks under the Renault, Mack and UD Trucks brands as well as its own name, said shipments in its top market, Europe, rose 14 percent while they climbed 55 percent in North America... Deliveries in February were up 32 percent in South America while they were rose 32 percent in Asia...

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TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * South Korea: Hyundai's

* South Korea - Hyundai to make big trucks in China

(Photo: Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul) 
Seoul,SK -InAutoNews, by Aurel Niculescu -March 13th, 2014: ... Hyundai Motor Co decided to build the Trago cargo and dump trucks as early as the first half of the year, using a manufacturing facility in Sichuan with an 160,000 vehicle-capacity... According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, due to advances in China’s urbanization and infrastructure investment, the commercial segment has been on a steady rise – 2013 saw a 21 % growth in medium- and heavy-duty truck sales to 770,000 units... Hyundai, which already set up shop in China to manufacture passenger cars, has established the necessary 50-50 joint-venture with commercial maker Sichuan Nanjun Automobile Group, building together the new plant in Ziyun, in the Sichuan province... With a target of reaching at least 400,000 units by 2020, Hyundai aims to increase its role in the commercial vehicle segment, adding production capacity in China, the United States and Turkey...

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Mar 12, 2014

TRUCKS RECALLS * WORLDWIDE

* USA and Canada - School Bus and Truck Engines Are Recalled

Vancouver,BC,Canada -Associated Press -March 1, 2014: -- Engine maker Cummins Inc. and its joint venture Cummins Westport Inc. are recalling 25,013 engines because cold weather could cause a sensor to fail, resulting in an exhaust fire... No injuries have been reported but Cummins Westport has received two reports of flames coming from vehicle exhaust pipes... The engines can be found in a variety of commercial vehicles including school and transit buses as well as fire trucks. Among the companies to which Cummins shipped the engines is school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp. The recall affects Cummins Westport Model ISL G engines made between Sept. 12, 2007 through Feb. 2, 2014 and Cummins Westport Model ISX12 G engines made from Feb. 19, 2013 through Feb. 2, 2014... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that condensation in the tubes that distribute air coming into the engine may freeze during cold weather. That ice could interfere with the proper operation of the pressure sensor, potentially increasing exhaust temperatures or causing flames from the exhaust pipe, which could burn a person or cause a fire...


* Japan - Isuzu Recalls Over 36K Trucks

Tokyo,Japan -Kyodo -4 March 2014: -- Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Tuesday it is recalling 36,823 Forward midsize trucks due to possible coolant fluid leaks that could result in dashboard fires at the front passenger seats... In a report filed with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japanese truck and bus maker said it is recalling the trucks manufactured from April 1993 to July 2007... There have been seven fires involving the model since September 2010 but no injuries have been reported. In May 2012, a Forward truck was destroyed by fire in Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo... According to the ministry, engine coolant could leak from heaters in the dashboards and enter control units, resulting in short circuits that could trigger fires... The problem occurs when users do not replace the coolant periodically and the liquid leaks as a result of rust and cracks in pipes. Isuzu said it will take preventive measures such as placing waterproof covers on circuit boards...

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TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * China: Zoomlion

* Hunan - Zoomlion nears deal for heavy-truck joint venture in diversification push

(Photo: Reuters - Zoomlion's overseas operations contribute to about 10 per cent of its revenue, helped in part by its acquisition of Italian concrete machinery maker CIFA in 2008) 
Changsha,Hunan,China -Reuters -10 March, 2014: -- The mainland's construction equipment maker Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology is close to signing a heavy-truck joint venture with a major global player as it seeks to diversify the types of equipment it manufactures and sells, its chairman said yesterday... Zoomlion, which was hit hard by an industry downturn last year, would resume growth this year, helped in part by the mainland's urbanisation drive, Zhan Chunxin said... Other global truck makers have also set their sights on the mainland where a massive urbanisation drive is pushing up demand for heavy trucks... Daimler Trucks finalised a deal with Beijing Automotive's truck unit Beiqi Foton Motor in September 2011. Sweden's Volvo also teamed with Dongfeng Motor to build a heavy-truck plant early last year...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:46 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Russia - Kamaz

* Truckmaker Kamaz 2013 net profit tumbles by a third

(Photo: A Kamaz truck in a Rally desert race) 
Moscow,Russia -Reuters, by Vladimir Soldatkin / Lidia Kelly and Edwina Gibbs -Mar 7, 2014: -- Russian truck maker Kamaz's 2013 net income fell 31 percent to 4 billion roubles ($110.7 million), hurt in part by a decline in sales... Kamaz, which is 11 percent owned by German auto group Daimler, has faced headwinds as key customers in construction and heavy industry have been forced to scale back production and cancel projects... Sales fell 5 percent in 2013 to 110.7 billion roubles, figures provided by the company showed... But the truck maker also said that its share of the domestic truck market, where Belarusian MAZ is one of its main competitors, rose to 45 percent from 33 percent a year earlier... ($1 = 36.1367 Russian roubles)...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:34 AM  0 comments

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Australia - Isuzu´s

* Dandenong - 1979 Isuzu SBR 422 truck review

(Photo: Isuzu celebrates australian truck heritage with restoration) 
Holden,Dandenong,Australia -Cars Guide, by James Stanford -7 March 2014: -- Isuzu restored the classic eight-tonne SBR to celebrate its amazing milestone of 25 years as the best selling truck-maker in Australia...  It is a brilliant rebuild, with the Isuzu Australia team going to great lengths to resurrect a sorry and tired truck into something close to the rig that was released a decade before Isuzu became the country's No. 1 brand... The Isuzu truck operation was very much part of the General Motors empire... The new truck is far safer too. Anti-lock brakes and traction control were a long way away from production back in 1979. The technology behind the safety structure of the cab is far more advanced these days... The 1979 rig does have a radio, - which is great if you like talkback or listening to the football - and a heater, but that does it for the luxuries. These days, drivers are spoilt with digital radio, AM and FM, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth phone connection as well as optional satellite navigation...

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TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * USA: Ford´s - Fuso's - Navistar's

* Michigan - Here are the February 2014 'Big 8' US auto sales 

(Photo from Reuers - Chrysler Plant Worker: Chrysler assembly worker Brenda Williams checks under the hood of a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup truck for quality control at the Warren Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan December 11, 2013)
Warren,MICH,USA -Internatinal Business Times, by Angelo Young -March 3, 2014: -- The world’s “Big 8” automakers are releasing February U.S. monthly sale figures throughout Monday. Forecasts point to about 1.2 million unit sales, up slightly from the year-ago period. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate is expected to be around 15.4 million, up from 15.2 million in January... The unusually cold and stormy winter weather in much of the country is being blamed for the lackluster performance in new-auto sales since the start of the year...
 * Chrysler, which is majority-owned by Fiat SpA of Italy, reported its sales rose 40% in February to 133,521 vehicles. Its truck sales rose 21% from a year earlier, while car sales more than doubled.
 * Ford Motor Co. weighed in with a 14% rise, to 178,644 cars and light trucks.
 * General Motors Co. increased 1%, to 209,306 vehicles. Deliveries of its Chevrolet brand rose 5.8%, helped by its Sonic and Cruze small cars.
 * Nissan Motor Co., which has been affected less by last year's production disruptions said its February U.S. sales increased 15.5%, to 106,731 vehicles.
 * Toyota, meanwhile, said its U.S. auto sales rose 12% in February as Camry and Prius models booked double-digit sales gains, though truck sales slipped. Toyota reported it sold 159,423 vehicles in the U.S. last month, up from 141,846 a year earlier and 18% above January's total.
 * Honda's U.S. vehicle sales rose 12% in February, led by strong Civic and CR-V sales. The Japanese auto maker reported it sold 110,157 vehicles in February, up from 98,059 a year earlier and 33% above January's total. Its car sales were up 13%, while truck sales rose 11%.
 * Sales by South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co.  rose 17% from a year ago, to 51,151 vehicles.
* Michigan - Ford shifts truck production North of the border to Ohio

(Photo by Sam VarnHage - Ford Motor Co. Joe Hinrichs, Ford's President of the Americas, at Friday's event).
Dearbon,MICH,USA -IdeasStream, by Brian Bull -March 10, 2014: -- Car maker Ford is shifting production of medium-duty trucks from Mexico to its Avon Lake, Ohio plant... Last January, it looked as if hundreds of jobs could be trimmed at Avon Lake for a retooling process to accommodate the new line of trucks... The Ohio Assembly Plant will take on production of all-new Ford F-650 and F-750 trucks beginning in early 2015... In turn, Ford’s E-Series Cargo and passenger van production will cease by year’s end... UAW Local 2000 president Jerome Williams could not be reached for comment. But Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur says the truck production shift from Mexico to the Ohio Assembly Plant was arranged through a collective bargaining agreement between Ford and the UAW in 2011...


* Indiana - Mitsubishi Fuso unveils updated Canter

Indianapolis,IND,USA -Transport Topics -10 March 2014: -- Mitsubishi Fuso has introduced a new Class 3 Canter model that offers higher payload and gross vehicle weight rating than the model it replaces... An increase of GVWR 12,500 pounds to 13,200 pounds required no upgrades to the truck’s underpinnings, company executives said, and gives buyers an additional 700 pounds of payload. The front axle rating on the new truck is 5,360 pounds, and the rear axle rating is 9,880 pounds. The truck’s four wheelbase lengths —110.2”, 133.9”, 151.6” and 169.3” — remain, the truck-maker said... The truck's 3.0-liter diesel keeps its power ratings of 161 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, but the 6-speed automatic transmission gets new calibration to improve acceleration Mitsubishi Fuso CEO Todd Bloom said...


* Illinois - Navistar loses $248M, looks to regain market share

(Photo by Bill Lackey - Navistar employees work on the truck assembly line in the Springfield plant on Thursday, Dec. 19)
Warrensville,ILL,USA -Dayton Daily News, by Matt Sanctis -March 5, 2014: -- Navistar lost $248 million in its first quarter — more than double what it lost during the same time last year — due in part to earlier problems getting approval of its engine technology and a decline in military sales. Some analysts said the results released Wednesday show the truckmaker that employs more than 800 people in its Springfield plant and has thousands of local retirees continues to face financial woes, while the manufacturer and others said Navistar remains competitive and is well-positioned to improve its revenues as the economy grows. The truckmaker is one of Clark County’s most prominent employers and has grown since 2010 when it had as few as 300 employees at its Springfield manufacturing plant... Navistar officials said they have made progress in reducing costs and are focused on rebuilding their market share this year...

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TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Sweden - VW/Scania: Investigation - Union Seeks Written Guarantees From Volkswagen

* Sweden - Investigates trading in truckmaker Scania's shares

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Helena Soderpalm and Arno Schuetze in Frankfurt and Erica Billingham -Mar 7, 2014: -- Sweden's Economic Crime Authority is investigating eight suspected cases of insider trading in Scania shares in connection with majority owner Volkswagen's offer to buy out other shareholders in the Swedish truck maker... Insider trading is illegal when a person with access to confidential information about a company buys or sells its shares before the information is made public... The spokeswoman declined to say what had prompted the authority's investigation... The spokeswoman said that trades by two top Scania executives three weeks before the German carmaker's bid were not among the cases being investigated... According to the Swedish Financial Surpervisory Authority's list of trades by company executives, both Chief Executive Martin Lundstedt and Chief Financial Executive Jan Ytterberg bought shares on Jan. 30, the day after Scania reported fourth-quarter earnings... A Scania spokesman said none of Scania's five executive directors were being investigated...


* Sweden - Volkswagen must promise not to cut jobs, investments if Scania bid is accepted 

Stockholm,Sweden -The WSJournal (USA), by Christina Zander -March 10, 2014: -- IF Metall, an influential Swedish labor union representing 4,000 workers at truck maker Scania, has asked Volkswagen for written confirmation that the German auto giant won't cut jobs and investments if its bid to gain full control of the Swedish company is accepted... Volkswagen, which currently controls 60% of Scania, has offered to buy out minority shareholders in an effort to wield more influence over its operations. IF Metal officials hold considerable sway over how Volkswagen's bid will proceed and they insist plans to preserve Scania's workforce be set in stone amid fears that job cuts and investment reductions could be in the cards... Volkswagen's rationale behind a takeover of Scania has raised red flags. The auto maker, which also owns German truck maker MAN, said a takeover would remove certain legal restrictions that prevented Volkswagen from fully implementing its commercial-vehicles strategy and achieve synergies from the integration of its trucking assets. This has caused Swedish employees to fear jobs and future investments in research and development will end up in Germany instead of Sweden...


* Sweden - Volvo must increase sales and cut costs: CEO

 Göteborg,Sweden -Bloomberg/The Swedich Wire -11 March 2014: -- Volvo AB, the world’s second-largest truckmaker, must keep increasing sales as it cuts costs, Chief Executive Officer Olof Persson said at an investor conference in New York, Bloomberg reports... The company is currently reducing white-collar headcount and cuts research and development spending... Olof Persson said he is committed to the goal for Volvo’s truck, bus and construction-equipment units eventually to generate the highest operating margins in their industries...

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Mar 11, 2014

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * India: Daimler - Tata

* Chennai - Daimler to roll out buses from Chennai plant

(Photo by BIJOY GHOSH - New facility: Daimler executives at the foundation stone laying ceremony at Oragadam near Chennai) 
Oragadam,Chennai,India -The Hindu Business -March 6, 2014: -- Truck-maker Daimler India Commercial Vehicles will start manufacturing buses from its facility near Chennai by the second quarter of 2015... The company laid the foundation stone for the €50 million factory on Thursday, adjacent to its truck-manufacturing plant at Oragadam, an industrial suburb of Chennai. Daimler India, the subsidiary of Daimler of Germany, is consolidating its entire truck and bus manufacturing operations in India with this plant... The factory with a capacity of about 1,500 buses a year will make Mercedes-Benz rear-engine luxury buses and Bharat Benz front engine buses for the ‘volume market’ catering to intra-city transport, school and staff buses... The company has also entered into a supplier arrangement with Wrightbus of Northern Ireland to build the bus body for the Bharat Benz range...


  * Maharashtra - Tata Motors enters International level of racing with Prima trucks

Mumbai,India -Car Trade, by Aditya Chatterjee -March 06, 2014: -- Indian bred Tata Motors, the number one truck maker in the country has taken the initiative of launching truck racing in India. For this, Tata Motors has chosen its flagship Prima series of trucks... It has a 4038.S engine which produces 370Bhp of power at 2100 rpm and a torque of 1550Nm at 1200 to 1400 rpm. It has a 9 speed gearbox. These trucks are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 110 Km/h... Tata Motors have meticulously worked on the details and have produced a master piece in form of these racing trucks. There are close to 22 modifications which have been introduced in a normal truck for this purpose. The driver cabin has a roll cage which fulfils the requirements of FMSCI. The steering wheel has a quick release mechanism to help the driver exit the cabin in case of an emergency. It gets FIA approved racing seats and a fire extinguisher in the cabin. It also has an external engine and fuel cut-off switch. It gets a propeller shaft guard and always ON tail lamps. Since braking plays an important role, it gets revised new generation wider brakes with liquid cooling. The suspension height have been reduced too to make it race ready. It has a 90L fuel tank which is located just behind the driver’s cabin...

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