TRUCKMAKERS NEWS WORLDWIDE

* Japan - Japanese truck production still curtailed by quake aftermath

Indianapolis,IND,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -22 March 2011: -- Top executives of U.S. operations for three Japan-based commercial truck builders have told FleetOwner that production at their parent companies’ truck plants remain halted in the wake of the devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami that dealt massive twin blows to Japan almost two weeks ago. All three of the OEMs - Hino, Isuzu and Mitsubishi Fuso- had rolled out new truck models at the NTEA Work Truck Show earlier this month in Indianapolis...

* Algeria - Daimler, Aabar, and Algerian government sign memorandum of understanding

Stuttgart,Germany -The FINANCIAL (Tbilisi, Georgia) -23 March 2011: ... Daimler AG, the Algerian government, and Aabar Investments PJS signed a memorandum of understanding with regard to the assembly of trucks and buses... The project encompasses the supply of vehicle parts to Algeria for local assembly in Rouiba. Daimler will provide technology and supply parts and components on a contractual basis... The Abu Dhabi-based company Aabar Investments PJS and the Algerian government will establish a joint venture in Rouiba, Algeria, that will be responsible for the operational management of the vehicle assembly facility...

* Italy - Wabco, Iveco forge long-term South America deal

Milano,Italy -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Mar 23, 2011: -- Truck component supplier Wabco Holdings Inc. is entering into a long -term agreement with Italy-based truck maker Iveco to provide its air processing unit for Iveco’s complete range of trucks sold in Brazil and Argentina, starting in 2012... Wabco said the latest generation of this air-processing technology combines a multi-protection valve with air dryer and air cartridge systems within a more compact design... (Photo from misfondosgratis: Iveco truck)

* Indonesia - Volvo’s new truck is big play on

Jakarta,Indonesia -beyondbrics, by Anthony Deutsch -March 24, 2011: -- Volvo launched its newest, most advanced, industrial truck in Indonesia Thursday, positioning itself to grab market share as the country supplies China and India with vast quantities of coal...  The Swedish commercial vehicle maker declined to divulge financial details, but said it will set up its own local company to market the FMX, designed for mining and construction. It is expected to hire hundreds of employees...  Tested in the rugged, open pits of Adaro, Indonesia’s second largest coal producer, Volvo has already sold hundreds of the latest FMX model. It executives said they expect to increase market share from a current 25 per cent...



* Sweden - Volvo celebrates FMX truck production milestone in construction

Stockholm,Sweden -Transport Engineer (UK) -22 March 2011: -- Since its launch in April last year, almost 5,000 Volvo FMX construction trucks have been sold and the new vehicles have been put to the test in extreme conditions throughout Europe...  One project that FMXs are being put to work on is the world's longest tunnel, currently under construction on the border between Switzerland and Italy...  When completed it will be 57km in length, and the Volvo trucks will be expected to navigate gradients of up to 22%...  (Image from autoevolution: VOLVO FMX medium)

* Truck-Makers Still Hauling In Profits

Investopedia, by Stephen Simpson -Mar 22, 2011: -- Judging by the comments from one of Europe's largest truck-makers, the recovery in the market for big rigs still has a ways to go. Along with its earnings release on Monday, Germany's MAN SE expressed a fair bit of confidence in the growth outlook for the truck market in 2011. While investors who showed up early to play the commercial truck revival have already done well, this latest news gives at least some hope that the rally is not running on empty just yet...  MAN report a 22% jump in revenue from last year, but the company reversed a year-ago loss in profits of over $1 billion...  Volvo and Scania as well, to say nothing of larger vehicle companies like Volkswagen, Daimler and Fiat Industrial that all have business (or investment stakes) in the commercial truck sector...  (Photo from thelocal.de)

* USA - Good News for Americans As Well? 

As a whole the commercial truck sector has enjoyed a strong rally, with Navistar and PACCAR doubling over the past two years and Cummins and Magna jumping more than 300%. That said, the rally across the sector has not left all of the stocks with equal prospects...


* Canada - Mercedes-Benz to build own fuel-cell plant in

Burnaby, BC,Canada -Fleet Owner -Mar 24, 2011: -- Mercedes-Benz recently announced that it will set up its own production of fuel cell stacks in Burnaby, BC..  . The unit of Germany’s Daimler AG said construction of a facility or the production of stacks for fuel-cell vehicles will begin immediately, with completion of the production facilities scheduled for early 2012... Following a graduated test and commissioning phase, small-series production of next-generation fuel cell stacks is expected to begin in 2013 at the Canadian plant... According to the company, the new operation aims to cover the entire value chain, from materials R&D to technology for large-scale production...

* China - Opinion: Heavy-duty trucks usher in quality & after-sale service era. Focusing on quality and improving brand

Beijing,China -The China Economic Net, by Yang Zhongyang -24 March 2011: -- Now that sales have exceeded 1 million, how can China's heavy duty trucks industry make further progress? During the interview, "trouble-free miles" was frequently mentioned. According to people familiar with the business, currently the number of trouble-free miles of heavy duty trucks in Europe and America is around 1.5 million kms, but the figure is around 600,000 kms for heavy duty trucks in China...  Recent statistics published by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that in 2010, the sales of heavy duty trucks (including non-complete vehicles and semi-trailers) in China reached 1,017,400 units, an increase of 59.93 percent over 2009, the growth rate being 42.22 percentage points higher than that of 2009...   Huang Gang, general manager of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle, said that China's heavy duty trucks enterprises should be future-oriented in their marketing efforts. We should get to understand the oversea market before we enter it, and develop appropriate products that suit the market. We should complete our after-sales service system before our products go on sales. Only in this way can we ensure that our products are suitable for the market and reliable to be used, and that we can provide good service. Many Chinese products have entered foreign market and quitted later due to quality and after-sales service problems. We hope such things would not happen again. We'd rather take it slowly, and hope to make stable headway after we complete all necessary steps...