TRUCKMAKERS NEWS WORLDWIDE * Germany - Volkswagen set to formalise its offer for truckmaker MAN

Frankfurt,Germany /Paris,France -The Economic Times (India) -30 May 2011: -- Volkswagen is set to formalise its approach for truckmaker MAN in coming days, marking another milestone in the German automaker's bid for global dominance...  The offer is one in a series of ambitious plans Europe's largest carmaker has on the go as it strives to overtake Japanese rival Toyota Motor as the world's No.1 player by 2018...  Earlier this month VW marked the opening of a $1 billion U.S. assembly plant, it has been powering ahead in China, now the world's largest auto market, but still has progress to make on its alliance with Japanese group Suzuki... (Photo from truckwallpapers: VW truck, Constellation model)

* Sweden - Volvo Trucks launches production of FM MethaneDiesel

Hanover,Germany -Truck Business, by Claude Yvens -31 May 2011: -- Continuing the momentum of the recent IAA show in Hanover, Volvo Trucks will produce and market a bi-FM. The Volvo FM MethaneDiesel can operate with up to 75% mixture of methane gas, reducing its overall CO2 emissions by 10%. By using biogas, the reduction may even reach 70%...  Volvo Trucks will sell the first model in three markets where the gas distribution infrastructure is well developed, namely the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden...

* Sweden - Scania Transport Laboratory Duel Fuel cons loses a customer of Scania

Copenhagen,Sweden -Truck Business, by Claude Yvens -30 May 2011: -- The results are unambiguous: the Transportation Laboratory Scania truck lost the duel which he had opposed a similar vehicle of the German company TSL on a roundtrip Södertälje (SE) ​​/ Vordingborg (DK). On the way, Peter Röder consumed 28.5 l/100, l/100 km 28.6 cons Hanna Slime (STL), all with a total weight of 40 tons. Return (empty), Röder consumed 22.4 22.7 l/100 l/100 cons to Slime...   Duel Fuel that had been initiated by Scania Transport Laboratory to prove that average consumption of 25 l/100 km is possible with the right equipment and highly trained drivers...

* Algeria: Aabar's JVs to start production in 2011

Algiers,Algeria -AutomotiveWorld -May 26, 2011: -- Aabar Investments' ventures with German companies, which include Daimler and MAN Ferrostaal, are expected to start production in 2011 of up to 10,000 vehicles per year, The National reports...  In August 2009, Aabar Investments, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, signed a deal with the government of Algeria and five German companies to set up three manufacturing plants in the country to build cars, trucks, buses and engines...  The German partners - MAN Ferrostaal, Daimler, Deutz, MTU and Rheinmetall – agreed to provide licences and intellectual property, while Aabar and the government of Algeria agreed to establish a venture to manage the facilities...  In March this year, Daimler signed a memorandum of understanding with Aabar Investments and the Algerian government to form a truck and bus joint venture in Rouiba, Algeria. The project calls for the supply of auto components for local assembly in Rouiba. Daimler agreed to provide technology and supply parts and components on a contractual basis...  (Photo from mw2.google.com: Overloadad truck in Fez)

* India - Mahindra-Navistar JV eyes RHD export markets

New Delhi,Indi -AutomotiveWorld -May 26, 2011: -- The joint venture between Indian utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra and US-based commercial vehicles manufacturer Navistar, Mahindra Navistar Automotive (MNAL), is mulling exporting right-hand drive (RHD) CVs produced by the JV in India to overseas markets such as South Africa and SAARC countries... MNAL is working on establishing its presence across India in the first year of the company's launch. It expects to sell around 50,000 heavy CVs and 20,000 light CVs over the next three to four years, the report said... At present, the HCV segment in India is growing at 40%, while growth in the LCV has been reported at 15%... (Photo from motorbeam: Mahindra Navistar Truck)

* France - Renault to install 450,000m2 of solar panels

(The solar panels on the roofs of Renault's French plants will cover an area equivalent to 63 football fields)

Paris,France -Gizmag (USA), by Darren Quick -May 31, 2011: --   Outdoing the likes of Ferrari and Audi, which have already installed solar panels onto the roofs of their manufacturing plants, Renault has partnered with Gestamp Solar to launch what it says is the largest solar energy project in the automotive industry. The project will see solar panels eventually covering a total area of 450,000 m2 (4,843,760 sq ft) at Renault plants in France, generating 60 MW and cutting the company's CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons a year...  Installation of the solar panels on the roofs of the delivery and shipping centers at Renault's Douai, Maubeuge, Flins, Batilly, Sandouville and Cléon sites will begin this month, with completion scheduled for February 2012... Renault says that upon completion, the solar panels will cover an area equivalent to 63 football fields and generate enough electricity to power a town of 15,000 - although that's obviously not what it will be used for... The solar roof project is part of Renault's plan to reduce its carbon footprint by 10 percent by 2013 and a further 10 percent by 2016...

* France - Gruau to supply electric UV's

Paris,France -Fleet Europe, by Tim Harrup -31 May 2011: -- Bodywork manufacturer Gruau is to help clients in a relatively small niche market to obtain what they require. The niche is for electrically-driven vehicles of 3.5 tonnes, for which there is a limited demand. Gruau is thus to fit Italian electric Micro-Vett engines to around one hundred Fiat Ducato vans, which will subsequently be leased by Fraikin to Geodis. On top of this, reports autoactu, some ten electric microbuses for use by the Autolib service, will be equipped by Gruau with Bolloré electric units. Patrick Gruau, MD of the company, explains that it is convenient for clients to have this work done at the same time as the particular bodywork they require is being constructed...

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Sweden - Volvo FE Hybrid Truck Undergoes Crash Test

The Volvo FE Hybrid truck is thus now safe and ready for market launch


Gothenborg,Sweden -AutoEvolution, by Alina Dumitrache -25 May 2011: -- Swedish manufacturer Volvo Trucks is currently getting ready to release its new GE Hybrid truck onto the market, so naturally the vehicle had to first pass a rigorous crash test regime. The engineers had to face new challenges as the battery pack is fitted at the side of the vehicle, unlike conventional-powered trucks. This was the first time that Volvo carried out a crash test on a hybrid truck...  The hybrid model was tested by simulating a collision in which a car hits the side of the battery pack at a speed of 46 km/h (29 mph)... The battery pack weighs 578 kilograms and the battery itself weighs 232 kg (511 lbs) . The electrical system operates on 600 Volts... After the 1600 kg (3,527 lbs) car sled hit the battery pack, the assembled engineers saw that the installation met all expectations. The built-in safety system shut off all activity in the battery pack...  The test demonstrated two main things: that the battery pack withstands a collision without causing a fire, and that the car driver is not injured by the battery pack...

* Sweden - Truck Maker Volvo Slashes Carbon Emissions

Gothenburg,Sweden -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Bruce Barnard -May 27, 2011: -- Volvo said it cut its carbon footprint delivering goods and products around Europe by 22 percent between 2006 and 2010. And the Swedish truck manufacturer said it aims to reduce emissions, measured by the average number of grams of carbon dioxide per ton per kilometer, by 30 percent by 2015... Volvo Logistics, Volvo’s transport arm, said the lower CO2 emissions was driven by several factors, including training truck drivers, employing more efficient rigs and optimizing the use of ships and freight trains... The reduction includes transportation for Volvo Car, as well as Volvo’s truck, bus, construction equipment and marine engine businesses...   (Photo from yeeeeee: Volvo FH 16)

* France - Renault tractor unit demonstrator proves attractive on fuel

Lyon,Saint Priest,France -Transport Engineer, by John Challen -24 May 2011: -- When Renault Truck Commercials launched a demonstration programme last December, with its Union Jack and Welsh flag-branded Premium Long Distance tractor units, one operator returned 11.13mpg over a week's driving...   Fuel efficiency was one of the key measurements and the combined results showed an average of 9.58mpg, which has left Christophe Blazere, managing director of Renault Truck Commercials, very happy...  "We sold over 50 Premiums as a result of this programme, and most of them are conquests for Renault Trucks, such as JJ Bartletts and Sons and Ralph Coleman," asserts Blazere...

* Russia: Fuso KamAZ JV marks production milestone

Naberezhnye Chelny,Russia -AutomotiveWorld -May 25, 2011: -- Fuso KamAZ Truck Rus recently marked production of its 1,000th Mitsubishi Fuso truck. The company, an equal-parts joint venture between KamAZ and Mitsubishi Fuso’s parent Daimler, was set up in late 2009. It began making trucks at its Naberezhnye Chelny plant in May 2010. It assembles the 7.5-ton Canter light-duty truck from semi-knocked-down kits shipped from Japan... The distribution network for Mitsubishi Fuso trucks in Russia has been growing and now numbers more than 50 locations. Mitsubishi Fuso currently ranks number two among its Japanese competitors in its segments in Russia...


* Iraq: Scania signs deal to deliver 4,000 CVs
 

Baghdad,Iraq -AutomotiveWorld -May 24, 2011:  --  Swedish commercial vehicles manufacturer Scania has entered into a cooperation agreement with Iraq's Ministry of Industry and Minerals, whereby the OEM will deliver 4,000 vehicles worth SEK 3bn (US$472.6m) during a five-year period...  Scania will execute this agreement together with its partner in Iraq, Qanadeel al Rafidain. The vehicles will be assembled at the government's Iskandariyah industrial complex, south of Baghdad. The agreement also calls for Scania to deliver industrial know-how, tools and training during the five-year period...  Scania regained a production and sales presence in Iraq a year ago... (Image from t3.gstatic: The Most Cool Scania truck )

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Western Star takes action on fuel line problem

Wyoming,NSW,Australia -ATN -May 12, 2011: -- Western Star Trucks Australia is recalling 273 trucks with Australian-fitted Cummins ISX and Signature engines due to an issue with the routing of the fuel line... The recall centres on vehicles that may have an incorrect routing of the fuel line running from the fuel filter outlet to the engine fuel pump... There is potential for the fuel line to rub on the main cab power harness conduit, causing the main power fuse to blow and stopping the engine without warning... Western Star Trucks Australia is contacting owners by mail to arrange to have the fuel line relocated away from the power harness... (Image from transportcafe.co.uk: Australian Western Star oversize truck_1.jpg)

* UK - Dawson Rentals takes 100 MAN TGM rigids

Milton Keynes,EN,UK -Road Transport, by Christopher Walton -16 May 2011: -- Dawson Rentals has taken delivery of 100 MAN TGM rigids for its expanding fleet of refrigerated and ambient trucks... The rental firm has acquired some 150 of rigid MANs in the past 12 months, on top of 250 MAN tractor units taken on over the same period.   MAN now accounts for one fifth of the Dawson fleet...   (Picture from roadtransport: MAN TGM rigids trucks)

* India - Sweden's Scania to set up assembly plant in Bangalore

New Delhi,India -Business Standard/Press Trust of India -May 18, 2011: -- Swedish truck maker Scania today said it will expand its operations in India and plans to set up an assembly plant in Bangalore, besides looking to introduce heavy haulage trucks and luxury buses... The company, which has been selling mining trucks in the country in partnership with L&T since 2007-08, has formed an Indian, arm Scania Commercial Vehicles India and will hire 100 people as it gears up to start assembling heavy haulage trucks by next year... While stating that the company has not finalised investments on the assembly plant, Scania Commercial Vehicles India Managing Director, Henrik Fagrenius, said the company expects to operationalise it by next year. Asked about the capacity of the plant, Fagrenius said: "In five years we are looking at 2,000 trucks and 1,000 buses " ... The company is also looking at selling 1,500 engines for industrial and marine applications in India over the five year period, he added...  (Photo from ts4.mm.bing.net)

* India - Ashok Leyland to invest Rs 1,200 crore to expand capacity

(Image from team-bhp: Ashok Leyland launches U-truck platform-based vehicles the 03-Leyland)

Pantnagar,India -Wheels Unplugged -21 May 2011:  ...  The Hinduja group company and truck maker Ashok Leyland will invest about Rs 1,200 crore in the current financial year to raise its capacity... The report mentioned that the company plans to raise about Rs 600 crore via debt to fund this expansion, according to Ashok Leyland Chief Financial Officer, K Sridharan. It was mentioned that the company is gearing up for two big launches this year - its light commercial vehicle code -named Dost from its joint venture with Nissan and the expansion of its U-truck range... Ashok Leyland is targeting to scale up annual production at Pantnagar plant from 13,000 to 36,000 vehicles by last quarter of this financial year. It has also confirmed that its LCV launch is on track and the vehicle will debut in the second quarter of this financial year. According to Ashok Leyland, the Neptune engines developed by them are more powerful and fuel-efficient and they will be used in the U-truck range of vehicles. The company had launched some models from U-truck in two states and sold 1,010 vehicles so far...  Going forward, the company expects U-truck to contribute as much as 25 per cent of their total domestic truck sales. It was mentioned that this year the sales growth will be much slower...

* Mongolia - Mitsubishi Fuso enters on

Ulaanbaatar,Mongolia -Manufacturing automotive business review -May 19, 2011: -- Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, Asia-based commercial vehicle manufacturer, has entered into the Mongolia market with the FE Canter light-duty trucks (GVW 4.7-7.2 tons) and FK Fighter medium-duty trucks (GVW 11.0 tons)... Mongolian Star Melchers (MSM) headquartered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will sell the trucks exported from Japan... The company said that the move complements its international market expansion in key markets with growth potential, especially in the Asia region... The company has already delivered its first 10 Canter light-duty trucks to MCS Coca-Cola LLC at a customer delivery ceremony held at Ulaanbaatar... (Photo from eperformance: Mitsubishi Fuso Canter hybrid truck)

* Germany - Daimler says Fuso trucks arm in Japan soon back to normal

Mannheim,Germany -M & C -May 21, 2011: -- Germany's Daimler said Saturday it aims to bring its Japanese truck arm, Mitsubishi Fuso, back to full production this summer after the disruption caused by the March earthquake and tsunami...  During May, the world's biggest truckmaker is only likely to operate its plants in Japan at 30 to 40 per cent capacity, the group's commercial vehicles chief, Andreas Renschler, told the German Press Agency DPA...  In China, meanwhile, Daimler is still waiting for regulatory permission to establish a joint venture with local truck company Foton, Renschler said...

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* Australia - Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Debuts Down Under

[Photo: The new Fuso Canter]

Sydney,Australia -AutoEvolution, by Alina Dumitrache -13 May 2011:  --  Following Japan and North America, Australia is the third major market in which the eighth generation Canter light truck has been introduced. European markets are to follow in 2011, with more than 40 new countries to get it by the end of 2012...  The Fuso Canter is the first commercial truck to incorporate a dual-clutch transmission, the DUONICTM (6-speed automated dual clutch-type manual transmission). It also marks the first use of the BlueTec emissions reduction system in the Australian market...  The vehicle’s weight has been reduced by more than 150 kilograms. as compared to the predecessor models. The reductions mainly affect the chassis and allow the truck to carry a higher payload...

* Germany - Fuso Europe Continues to Boost Sales

Stuttgart,Germany –The FINANCIAL (Georgia,Europe) -12 May 2011: -- At 1,325 units, sales at Fuso in Europe were 31 percent higher in the first quarter than in the same period last year... In 2010 as a whole, the company sold about 5,900 trucks in Europe, an increase of 48.5 percent on the previous year... In 2010, Germany was the company’s main European sales market for the first time, with sales rising by approximately 30 percent to around 1,100 units. In addition, Fuso posted substantial sales increases in its other core European markets of France, Italy, and the UK... Fuso managed to gain market share in Europe, primarily due to the great demand for the new Euro 5-compliant Canter fitted with EEV exhaust gas treatment technology, which is now standard equipment in the light truck. As a result, the Canter’s market share of Europe’s light truck segment rose to 14.4 percent in 2010. This was the highest level ever reached in the vehicle’s history and represented an increase of one percentage point on the figure for the previous year...


* Germany - VW wants to take total control of MAN

Wolfsburg,Germany -Truck Europe, by Claude Yvens -10 May 2011: -- Car manufacturer Volkswagen has announced its intention to buy further shares in HGV manufacturer MAN to bring its shareholding up to 40%. Volkswagen has just passed the critical threshold of 30% beyond which it is obliged to make an offer for the remaining shares. VW has thus published an offer of 95 Euros per share... Volkswagen already holds 71.8 % of voting rights at Scania, but in order to arrive at a more profound collaboration between the two brands without falling foul of anti-trust laws, the shareholding structure of the two manufacturers has to be modified. Taking total control of MAN would open the way to constituting an integrated entity where synergies would principally arise in the domains of purchasing, research and development, and production. The two brands would thus be set to cohabit with their own sales networks, in accordance with competition law. Volkswagen already practices this with its seven car brands, and such an arrangement is already in place in the heavy trucks world, between Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks in Europe...

* Germany - Volkswagen To Have Five Seats On MAN SE Supervisory Board

Frankfurt,Germany -Dow Jones/Fox Business (USA), by Nico Schmidt -May 17, 2011: -- Car maker Volkswagen AG, will increase its number of seats on MAN SE's supervisory board to five, strengthening its influence over the Munich-based truck maker, in which it now holds a stake of more than 30%... Until now, Volkswagen only had two seats on the body with supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech, who holds the same position at Volkswagen, sitting with Audi AG chief Rupert Stadler. Both executives are seeking reelection...

* Germany -  MAN turnover up

Munich,Germany -Truck Europe, by Michel Buckinx -5 May 2011: -- The first quarter of this year saw the MAN group increase its turnover by 19% compared to the same quarter in 2010, to 3.724 billion Euros. Operating profits were 154% up, reaching 325 million Euros. The utility vehicles branch was the most dynamic within the group, with orders up by almost 40% and turnover by 30%...

* Sweden - Volvo Group increases sales by 22 % in first quarter

Gothenburg,Sweden -Truck Europe, by Claude Yvens -27 April 2011: -- Sales by the Volvo Group have increased by 22% during the first quarter of 2011. The ‘trucks’ division put on an average of 25%, particularly thanks to the European and North American markets. In Europe, the long distance segment performed the best, while the ‘construction’ segment is still handicapped by weak demand in southern Europe. The Volvo Group has nevertheless increased its forecast for 2011 to 230/240,000 units, against 220,000 during the previous quarter...

* Sweden - Volvo’s April North American Deliveries More Than Double

Gothenburg,Sweden -Transport Topics (USA) -17 April 2011: -- Volvo AB’s North American truck deliveries more than doubled in April from a year ago, while worldwide sales heavy-duty sales improved 77% the company said Tuesday... North American deliveries rose 136% to 3,388 trucks, from 1,434 a year earlier, Volvo said in a statement... Global heavy-duty deliveries for the month jumped 77% to 14,766 units, while total truck deliveries including smaller classes rose 49% to 19,366 trucks for the month... Volvo AB, the parent company of Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks. Worldwide, also includes Renault, UD and Eicher brand trucks...

* Sweden - Truck maker Scania to make India investment

Stockholm,Sweden -Monsters and Critics -May 18, 2011 --  Swedish heavy-vehicle maker Scania Wednesday said it planned to invest in India and has set up a special sales company, due to growing demand in the Asian powerhouse...  'Within the next five years, we expect to be able to achieve annual sales of almost 2,000 trucks, 1,000 buses and 1,500 engines,' Martin Lundstedt, head of Scania sales and marketing, said...   The new sales company, Scania Commercial Vehicles, was also to establish a plant for bodywork and fitting out of complete vehicles as well as a parts depot, the statement said...  India's economic growth, rise in exports and expansion of motorways and logistic systems were cited as contributing factors to Scania's move...

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS * Germany

Wofsburg,Germany -Bloomberg, by Andreas Cremer/Aaron Kirchfeld/Chad Thomas and Chris Reiter -9 May 2011:  --  Volkswagen AG plans to boost its holding in German truckmaker MAN SE to as much as 40 percent to forge a truck alliance with Scania AB in Sweden that could save upwards of 1 billion euros ($1.43 billion) in annual costs... A merger of the two would create Europe’s largest truckmaker. MAN and Scania together had 30 percent of the European heavy-truck market last year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Volvo and Daimler each had 21 percent...  MAN has been working on a combination with Soedertaelje- based Scania since the German company’s hostile bid for the Swedish competitor failed in 2007. VW bought its MAN stake to help Scania fend off MAN’s hostile approach...  MAN, Scania and rival truckmakers have reported surging earnings as demand for trucks rises. MAN’s first-quarter operating profit more than doubled on higher deliveries to freight transporters and construction companies, while Scania’s earnings before interest and taxes climbed 41 percent...   (Image from wallpapers-diq: MAN TGX V8 680 Commercial Truck)

* Germany - Volkswagen Plans MAN Bid. Auto Maker's Lowball Offer Would Permit Cost-Sharing Without Full Buyout

Wolfsburg,Germany -The Wall Street Journal, by VANESSA FUHRMANS -May 10, 2011:  --  Volkswagen AG said it would submit a formal offer to acquire all of MAN SE, while signaling that its planned lowball offer was aimed more at complying with German antitrust rules rather than toward securing a majority in the German truck maker anytime soon...  Volkswagen set the bid in motion by raising its share of voting rights in MAN to just over 30% from 29.9%, a threshold that requires it under German law to launch a mandatory offer for all remaining shares...

* Japan - VW in talks with Isuzu on parts cooperation

(Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters: The Volkswagen logo is seen on display at the New York International Auto Show in New York City, April 20, 2011)

Tokyo,Japan -Reuters, by Kentaro Sugiyama/Jan Schwartz/Chang-Ran Kim/Nathan Layne and Alexander Smith -May 10, 2011: -- Japanese truckmaker Isuzu Motors Ltd and Volkswagen AG are considering an operational tie-up in areas such as truck engines, but have no immediate plans for capital ties, a top Isuzu executive said... While the two companies were not discussing any capital ties now, that was a possibility in future if cooperation deals evolve, the executive added... A spokeswoman for Volkswagen confirmed Europe's biggest carmaker is in talks with Isuzu over a possible cooperation on parts, but declined to be more specific... Media reports have said Isuzu and Volkswagen were aiming to close an operational deal this autumn and that VW was looking to take a stake in Isuzu...

* Wiscosin - Paper Transport to test dual-fuel system

Green Bay,WI,USA -Fleet Owner -May 10, 2011: -- Paper Transport, has signed a vehicle test agreement with American Power Group (APG), a subsidiary of GreenMan Technologies, to run a trial of the company’s dual-fuel system. APG will collect data on the engines before and after the installation of the dual-fuel system... Paper Transport is a regional fleet operator with over 280 power units offering dedicated and regional routes... APG’s dual fuel system converts diesel engines to run on both diesel fuel and up to 60% of compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, well-head gas, or bio-methane... Paper Transport represents an ideal opportunity for us because they are already operating natural gas vehicles and are looking for a cost effective retrofit solution for a large portion of their remaining diesel vehicles... Paper Transport will retrofit a 2009 Freightliner Cascadia running a 14.8L Detroit Diesel DD15 Series engine...

TRUCKMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

* UK- New Mercedes-Benz Atego is a Clear winner

London,EN,UK -HGV UK -May 5, 2011: -- Entrepreneur Chris Hocken is boxing clever with his new venture – an eye-catching, mobile promotional space mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Atego chassis...  He has just launched The Clear Idea in exclusive partnership with Mercedes-Benz UK and hopes to have one vehicle based in each of five major cities by the end of his first year in business. “The Clear Idea is a new, innovative and exclusive concept designed and engineered to promote products and services via a transparent mobile box” ... Like all Atego trucks with manual transmissions, the truck also came fitted with the innovative MSS (Motor Stop Start) system. This boosts fuel economy and cuts emissions, simply by switching off the engine whenever the vehicle is in neutral and stationary for three seconds – for example in heavy traffic or at lights – then switching it back on again automatically as soon as the driver depresses the clutch...

* France - French company unveils all-electric refuse truck

Paris,France -Reuters/Fleet Owner (USA), by Brian Straight -May 6, 2011:  --  A waste management company in France is set to begin the rollout of all-electric garbage trucks to clean the streets of the Paris suburb of Courbevoie. By the end of the year, SITA France expects to have 11 of the vehicles in operation and plans to replace the entire fleet eventually... The trucks were developed by PVI and Dow Kokam, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. They use an advanced lithium polymer battery and all elements of the trucks and collecting refuse bins are electric. The 26-ton, zero-emission truck will eliminate 130 tons of CO2 per truck per year, the companies said...

* India - Tata Motors pins hopes on twin-track approach

Mumbai,India -FT (UK), by Peter Marsh -May 8 2011: -- Tata Motors has set its sights on being an “unconventional global player” in the automotive industry, drawing out important benefits from its twin bases in India and Britain, according to Carl-Peter Forster, the chief executive and a German car industry veteran... Mr Forster concedes that the combination of operations at Tata Motors – part of India’s Tata industrial group, and the country’s largest automotive supplier – is unusual by the standards of the global vehicle industry... In the year to March, Tata Motors produced 1.1m vehicles – a small figure by the standards of the world’s biggest automotive businesses such as Toyota and Ford... Of the total, slightly less than half were medium and heavy trucks, of which the company is the world’s fourth-biggest producer. The company’s car output during the year of 512,000 vehicles was split about equally between operations in India and Britain...(Image from 2.bp.blogspot: Tata World truck)

* Belgium - Wabco supplies MAN with new air disc brakes

Brussels, Belgium -Transport Engineer -3 May 2011: -- Wabco has announced details of the first supplier deal for its NG22MAX air disc brakes, with MAN's European trucks... The single-piston NG22MAX is compact and, at 39kg, is the lightest air disc brake of its kind, according to Wabco... Nikhil Varty, Wabco vice president, compression and braking, makes the point that this light weighting allows trucks to increase payload and improve fuel economy... He also says that the new air disc brake reduces maintenance and service costs, due to increased brake pad thickness and exchangeable wear sensors... (Image from media.cygnus: WABCO presents a new generation of Air Disc Brakes)

TRUCKMAKERS NEWS WORLDWIDE * Europe - Truck sales jump as industry profits surge

Berlin,Germany / Stockholm,Sweden -M & C News, by Andrew McCathie and Lennart Simonsson -Apr 27, 2011: -- The recovery in Europe's new commercial vehicle market is gaining ground with year-on-year registrations bounding ahead by 9.7 per cent in March and two leading truck makers on Wednesday reporting a surge in profits...  Releasing its latest commercial vehicle data, the Brussels-based European automobile association (ACEA) said first quarter new registrations raced ahead by 14.7 per cent to 499,456 units, compared with the same period last year... The ACEA data showed commercial vehicle registrations in the region's biggest markets rising strongly during the first quarter. This included a 30.9-per-cent rise in Germany, a 30-per-cent increase in Britain and a 11.6-per-cent gain in France...  The increases were more marked in the Baltics, with total new commercial vehicle registrations soaring by a staggering 321.6 per cent and by 302.8 per cent during the first three months of the year. Sales were up 112 per cent in Estonia...  While registrations in Greece plunged by 56 per cent, Portugal recorded a 9.2-per-cent drop and Ireland, a 1.1-per-cent decline. All three nations have moved to tap the European Union-lead bailout fund to help their meet their debt commitments...


* Germany - Daimler Trucks makes great strides in Q1
Stuttgart,Germany -Truck & Business (Belgium), by Claude Yvens -29 April 2011:  --  The Daimler Trucks division made a substantial contribution to the positive results of the Daimler AG holding company during the first quarter. Sales increased by 27% to 89,300 units, thanks in particular to Western Europe and North America. The profitability of the division was also strongly up. For the rest of the year, and with the exception of the high degree of uncertainty in Japan, Daimler has an order book which has increased by double figures in Europe and Latin America, and even increased by a factor of four in North America...

* Germany - MAN SE Profit Rises as European, Brazilian Truck Demand Gains

Munich,Germany -Bloomberg, by Andreas Cremer - May 3, 2011:  -- MAN SE (MAN), Europe’s third-largest truckmaker, said first-quarter operating profit more than doubled on higher demand from freight transporters and construction companies...  Earnings before interest and tax gained to 325 million euros ($482 million) from 128 million euros a year earlier, MAN said today in a statement. Sales climbed 19 percent to 3.7 billion euros...  MAN expects 2011 revenue to advance from 7 percent to 10 percent and forecast the operating margin this year will rise by at least one percentage point, the company reiterated... (Photographer: Guenter Schiffmann/Bloomberg)

 * China - Truck maker signs investment MOU with India

Beijing,China -Xinhua -May 1, 2011: -- China's leading truck manufacturer Beiqi Foton Motor announced Saturday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India's Maharashtra state government to manufacture trucks in India...  The plant will be a comprehensive producing body and mainly produce heavy and light trucks according to the demand of local market, said Wang Shuguang, heading Beiqi Foton Motor's public relations...  The location of the plant has not been finalized and could be in Mumbai or Pune with several options available, said Wang...  Situated in China's capital city Beijing, Beiqi Foton Motor sold more than 600,000 vehicles in 2009 as the largest in the world... (Photo: India's truckers)

* China - Volvo and Scania Focus on Special-purpose Vehicles

Beijing,China -The China Daily, by LI FANGFANG -2 May 2010: -- The world’s second-largest truck maker Volvo Group, which exited a failed joint venture project with China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co last year, also said that they were now focusing on China’s booming construction machinery market through its acquired local company Shandong Lin’gong Construction Machinery, and a manufacturing tie-up with China’s Dongfeng Motor Group which it took over from Nissan Motor...  With China’s high-end, heavy-duty truck market not expected to boom for at least 10 years, global truck makers are now seeking opportunities in China’s special-purpose vehicle segment in hopes of grabbing a foothold in the world’s fastest growing economy... “Although our major business in China still targets imports of heavy-duty trucks for logistics, we also have had breakthroughs in fire-fighting vehicles in the last two years,” said Mats Harborn, managing director of Scannia China, the local branch of Swedish commercial vehicle producer under Volkswagen AG...

* South Korea - Hyundai enters Chinese commercial vehicle market

Seoul,S. Korea -Gasgoo (China) -May 03, 2011:  --  Hyundai will enter the Chinese commercial vehicle market, the world's largest, by producing trucks and buses in China starting in 2013...  The Korea automaker signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company with China's Sichuan Nanjun Automobile Group. The 50-50 joint venture, Sichuan Hyundai, will be established later this year in Ziyang City. It will initially use Nanjun Auto's existing facilities, and the completion of a new plant will enable Sichuan Hyundai to annually roll out up to 150,000 trucks and 100,000 buses... China's commercial vehicle market is expected to expand from 4.3 million units in 2010 to 5.2 million units in 2015. Hyundai aims to sell 73,0000 commercial vehicles in China this year and expand to 160,000 units around 2015, for a market share of three per cent... (Photo from i01.i.aliimg:  It is the manufacturer for HYUNDAI commercial vehicles in China.)

* Sweden - Volvo, Scania ride upturn, Q1 margins top forecasts

Stockholm,Sweden -Reuters, by Niklas Pollard and Johannes Hellstrom -Apr 27, 2011: -- Volvo and Scania, two of Europe's biggest truck makers, underscored the sharp rebound in the global truck market on Wednesday and reassured investors worried over cost pressures with forecast-beating margins... Volvo, the second-biggest truck maker after Germany's Daimler AG, said orders for its trucks rose 40 percent and raised its 2011 market outlook for both Europe and North America to between 230,000 and 240,000 units from 220,000... The results showed the upturn has gained momentum in the North American market, which was hardest hit by the global financial crisis. This is boosting Volvo, while the brunt of Scania's business is in Europe and South America... Scania, majority-owned by Volkswagen AG and which is in merger talks with MAN SE, also saw firm demand, though it struck a more cautious note about its key European market, where sovereign debt-related turmoil is tempering demand in some areas... (Photo from dipietrotrucking: DiPietro Trucks Volvo Condos)


* Russia & Belarus - Talks on link-up between truck makers to begin this week

Minsk,Belarus -Naviny.By -4 May 2011: -- A delegation of KamAZ executives will arrive in Belarus on May 5 to begin negotiating a possible link-up between the Russian truck maker and the Minsk Automobile Factory (MAZ)...  Speaking to reporters last month, KamAZ CEO, Sergei Kogogin, said that merging KamAZ and MAZ would take “quite a long time” because of the need to carry out full audits of the two entities...  The Belarusian government said earlier this year that it would like a joint holding company to have 49-percent stakes in both MAZ and KamAZ...  The final decision will be made at the highest governmental level because MAZ is fully owned by the state, he said...  Speaking to reporters on March 4, MAZ Director General, Alyaksandr Barowski, said that the enterprise was interested in a link-up with another truck giant because it "cannot survive on its own"   ...  MAZ has held merger talks with Germany`s MAN and Italy`s Iveco, but has received no offers from them... (Photo from maz.ru: MAZ Baltiya - Vilnius)

* Philippines - Petrochem, truck makers press to keep protection

Manila,Philippines -Business World On Line -May 01, 2011: -- Manufacturers of trucks and petrochemical producers are pressing the government to keep the 15%-30% tariff rates slapped on similar imports from South Korea and China until rates are to drop to 0%-5% in 2016 and 2018, respectively...  Instead of a planned gradual reduction of tariff rates under the Philippines’ free trade pacts with South Korea and China as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Association of Petrochemical Manufacturers of the Philippines (APMP) and the Trucks Manufacturers Association, Inc. (TMA) said keeping the prevailing rates in the meantime would give them time to prepare for the expected increased competition...