As 2011 moves towards curtains down, several truck manufacturers are dodging for pole position in 2012 to compete in, what some commentators are expecting to be a bear market.
Rumours are definitely not to be believed BUT there’s a bit of scuttlebutt around that MAN has won the lucrative Australian Defence Forces contract – or certainly a hefty chunk of it. Pat Cook from Western Star / MAN will not confirm or deny the rumours, however …
Mack has just launched the big MP10 giving the company a proprietary engine in the heavy end of its truck lineup. Along with the MP8 the two engines give a bulldog heart to 90 per cent of the product lineup – the Metro-Liner with the Cummins ISL is the only model now without the option of a bulldog’s heart.
Caterpillar – NC2 – is expected to make an announcement tomorrow (Friday December 9) probably along the lines of the Caterpillar C15 and C13 engines being emission-ready for the Australian ADRs to bring it close to Euro 5. General Manager for Sales and Marketing of NC2 Global Australia, Jeff Tyzack, says emissions have been controlled by utilizing a particulate filter without the need to go towards EGR or SCR systems, technology it seems that Caterpillar does not have market-ready as yet. It will be interesting to hear what the Cat people have to say at their media conference tomorrow.
All those white Cat trucks lined up in a row? Of the apparent 540 Caterpillar trucks with pre-Euro 5 engines built before December 31, 2010 to make them road legal in Australia, Jeff Tyzack says 125 have been sold and another 100 have buyers names on them as we head into the second year after their manufacture.
A pleasant Friday afternoon last week, kicking back beside a glistening Sydney Harbour, sharing the delicacies of the up-market Quay Restaurant and listening to Scania’s senior vice president of trucks, Henrik Henriksson talk of global trends and the booming market for trucks in South America and other developing countries. Seems that around 45% of Scania’s 2011 truck build will be fitted with Euro 3 and Euro 4 engines, mostly going to Russia and South America.
Australian Scania MD, Roger McCarthy says Scania will be offering both SCR and EGR options through 2012.
And Volvo of course broke the champagne bottle across the bow of the FMX range and Volvo, Mack and Scania could have announcements to make in the first quarter of next year.