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Renault Trucks Press Release / May 23, 2019 The driver's job in Africa is very challenging. Our drivers tell us how Renault Trucks K improves their comfort, their productivity and their safety every day . They are proud of their working tool. .

GM defense unit gets new leaders, stays quiet on plans Michael Wayland, Automotive News / May 25, 2019 DETROIT — General Motors' military-defense unit has a leadership team in place but remains in stealth mode a year and a half after being re-established by the automaker. Leading the GM Defense team is President David Albritton, a former U.S. Navy officer and communications specialist for the automaker. He replaced Charlie Freese, who returned to his role as head of GM's global fuel cell business in December. Freese had been leading GM Defense since its launch in October 2017, most recently with retired Maj. Gen. John Charlton, a 34-year U.S. Army veteran who left the company after six months. GM refused to comment on the departure of Charlton, who could not be reached for comment. Albritton and Freese refused requests for interviews. Aerospace, defense roles Albritton, 53, most recently was executive director of GM's internal and product-development communications. Before GM, he worked in communications in the aerospace and defense industries and spent nearly 10 years as a Navy public affairs officer. Since launching GM Defense, GM has been relatively quiet about the unit, but Albritton and his team are expected to be responsible for launching several hydrogen fuel cell-powered products for the aerospace and defense industries. GM, which sold its previous defense unit to General Dynamics Corp. for $1.1 billion in 2003, has worked with the U.S. military on the development of two fuel cell-powered products since 2016: an Unmanned Undersea Vehicle and a midsize pickup based on its Chevrolet Colorado called the ZH2. More recently, it has released concepts of a commercial-vehicle platform with autonomous capabilities and a military version of its Chevrolet Silverado HD as other potential future offerings. Both are powered by fuel cell systems. Bill Grotz, a company spokesman, declined to comment on the plans for such products as GM Defense is "refining" its business strategy. "We're not in a position to share details on our operations and plans going forward at this time," Grotz wrote in an email. "However, we'll have insight to share later this year and hopefully some nice business wins to discuss." Albritton, who joined GM's communications department in 2015, described his new position to PR Week as "exciting and daunting at the same time, as it's the first time in 25 years" he hasn't been in communications. Leadership appointments "What we're doing is leveraging our experience in electric vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles, high-voltage batteries, electric drive systems, autonomous vehicles, off-road mobility, and heavy truck manufacturing and offering those capabilities to militaries around the world," he told the magazine. Other GM Defense leadership appointments include: Nigel Sutton, 55, as vice president of business development on April 1. Sutton, a member of the Navy and U.S. Air Force for 23 years, had been vice president of international business for Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Jeff Ryder, 46, as vice president of growth and strategy on April 1. He most recently was vice president of Mobile Robotics at Oceaneering, an engineering services company, and has 25 years of experience across several industries, including aerospace and commercial technology. Angela Ambrose, 39, as vice president of government relations on May 1. She most recently led government relations activities for Accenture Federal Services since 2015 and previously worked for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems and in the public sector.

Fiat Chrysler puts merger offer to Renault board Reuters-Bloomberg / May 27, 2019 PARIS -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has made a "transformative merger" proposal to French peer Renault, FCA said on Monday. The deal would create an automaker with a strong presence across key regions, automotive markets and technologies, generating 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in annual savings, FCA said in a statement. The "broad and complementary brand portfolio would provide full market coverage, from luxury to mainstream," FCA said. Renault said in a statement Monday that its board had reviewed FCA's "friendly proposal" and had decided to "study with interest" the opportunity of such a business combination. The merger would bring FCA's brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Fiat under a common umbrella with Renault Group's Renault, Dacia and Lada brands. "The case for combination is also strengthened by the need to take bold decisions to capture at scale the opportunities created by the transformation of the auto industry," FCA said. The deal could take more than a year to finalize, FCA CEO Mike Manley told employees on Monday in a letter. The transaction will be structured as a 50-50 ownership through a Dutch holding company, FCA said, adding that it would give Renault investors an implied premium of about 10 percent. After payment of a 2.5 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) special dividend to FCA shareholders, each group would receive 50 percent of the combined entity in new stock. Exor, Fiat's founding Agnelli family holding, is set to become the single largest shareholder in the combined entity. The new company would be chaired by John Elkann, head of the Agnelli family that controls 29 percent of FCA, sources familiar with the deal talks told Reuters. Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard would likely become CEO, one said. Renault and FCA had a combined market value of 32.6 billion euros ($36.5 billion) as of Friday. Milan-listed Fiat Chrysler shares jumped 19 percent in early trading, while Renault stock gained 17 percent. Renault and FCA built about 8.7 million cars last year, which would vault the pair past Hyundai Motor Group and General Motors. That’s still behind the world’s two biggest automakers, Volkswagen Group and Toyota Motor Corp., which both topped 10 million vehicles last year. Renault’s existing alliance, including numbers from partners Nissan and Mitsubishi, also reached this milestone. The merger would give Renault access to the North American market, while FCA would gain clout in Russia, the French carmaker’s second-biggest market with its AvtoVaz unit, which builds Ladas. National politics The merger plan faces political and workforce hurdles in Italy, and potentially also in France. Most of FCA's European plants are running below 50 percent capacity. FCA said the planned cost savings would not depend on factory closures. Pressure for consolidation among automakers has grown with the challenges posed by electrification, tightening emissions regulations and expensive new technologies being developed for connected and autonomous vehicles. “Fiat and Renault are looking for surer footing by gaining scale, and that’s not a bad idea for mass-market carmakers,” Bankhaus Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper said. “The execution of the deal is a significant hurdle. But on paper, this proposal looks good.” If successful, the tie-up could also have profound repercussions for Renault's 20-year-old alliance with Nissan, already weakened by the crisis surrounding the arrest and ouster of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn late last year. FCA and Renault have moved ahead without Nissan, the French automaker’s 20-year partner, which has resisted proposals by Renault to merge in a holding-company structure. Leadership changes Both FCA and Renault went through dramatic changes at the top last year after former FCA chief, Sergio Marchionne, died and Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo on charges of financial crimes. FCA-Renault, like almost every possible automotive pairing, had been studied intermittently for years by dealmakers. But the fractious relations between Ghosn and Marchionne made constructive merger talks impossible until after Marchionne's sudden death last July, banking sources said. The French government, Renault's biggest shareholder with a 15 percent stake, supports the merger in principle but will need to see more details, its main spokeswoman said on Monday. France will be "particularly vigilant regarding employment and industrial footprint," another Paris official said, adding that any deal must safeguard Renault's alliance with Nissan. Nissan, which is 43.4 percent-owned by Renault, would be invited to nominate a director to the 11-member board of the new combined company, under the plan presented on Monday. As alliance partners, Nissan and its affiliate Mitsubishi would benefit from an estimated 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in annual savings from the merger, FCA said. The Italian government may also seek a stake in the combined group to balance France's holding, a lawmaker from the ruling League party said on Monday. Anticipating such sensitivities, FCA stressed "new opportunities for employees of both companies" under the merger.

Crane Carrier Co. Press Release / May 22, 2019 Crane Carrier Company’s (CCC) leading lineup of Class 7 and 8 severe-duty chassis are purpose built to offer maximum durability, visibility and maneuverability – optimizing uptime, safety and overall performance. Built tough in the U.S. and backed by a network of more than 180 Certified CCC Dealers and Service Centers in North America, nothing endures like a Crane Carrier. .

Autocar Trucks Press Release / May 21, 2019 As a member of the Conventional Cab Autocar Steering Committee, a plaque was awarded to Houston, Texas-based WCA Waste Corporation* Vice President of Fleet & Procurement Jason Saunders in grateful recognition for his individual contribution to the design and development of the new Autocar DC-64R. WCA will be receiving the very first commercially produced unit in October 2019! * https://wcawaste.com/ .

I noticed very clearly that the key players in American truck industry journalism did NOT cover the launch of the Autocar DC-64R until days later. FYI, the big truckmakers, shall we say accommodate........journalists who write about (promote) their products. It's a dirty business.

Funny the way the mind works. I frequently remember one particular day when I was casually passed on the interstate by a customer's sharp looking ENDT865-powered F-model and hearing that distinctive V-8 throb, effortlessly pulling that tractor-trailer forward.

And they're off to Italy. Ciao!

Ford Trucks International / May 24, 2019 The Ford Trucks F-MAX, "Official Truck" of FIA ETRC 2019, will be on the track at the first race of the championship in Misano, Italy on 25-26 May! .

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This is how a truckmaker wastes their sales marketing budget. .

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Freightliner Trucks Press Release / May 23, 2019 . . . . . . .

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Autocar Trucks Press Release / April 25, 2019 This Autocar truck was THE garbage-collecting machine in the 1980s. You could see it for years, roaming the streets of Manhattan, packing and hauling that big city trash. There’s nothing out there today as good as this brute. Yet. Time to get back to work. .

Paul, Chamberlain appears to have been ahead of its time. Australian engineering impresses! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w-ZnkeXI7c

The Ford Taurus Still Exists in China—and It Looks Good Joe Capparella, Car & Driver / May 22, 2019 Facelifted for 2020, the Taurus sold elsewhere makes us imagine an alternate universe where Ford's car lineup continues to thrive. Although the Ford Taurus sedan ended production for the U.S. market earlier this year, Ford continues to sell a newer version of the Taurus in China. The China-market Taurus, which looks a lot better than the outgoing U.S.-market Taurus, is getting some updates including a new top-of-the-line Vignale trim. Unfortunately we won't be getting anything like this Taurus in America, since Ford has dropped all of its passenger-car nameplates except the Mustang. Imagine an alternate universe where Ford's car lineup continues to thrive. Perhaps we in the United States would get a version of this attractive Taurus sedan, which is sold in China by the Blue Oval. Updated with fresh styling and a new luxurious Vignale trim, the China-market Taurus makes the outgoing U.S. version of the car—which ended production earlier this year—look outdated and downmarket. We first saw this new Taurus in 2015, back when we still thought it had a chance of coming to the States. Instead, Ford prolonged the sixth-generation car's life through the 2019 model year and then gave it an unceremonious sendoff, quietly ending production in March 2019. The Chinese version of the car, shown here, is essentially a longer-wheelbase version of the Fusion. It comes with a choice of three engines, including a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four, and a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6. While we certainly won't see the Taurus nameplate affixed to this sedan in U.S. dealerships at any point, the nameplate might not be dead for good on our shores. Ford has said that it may apply well-established car nameplates to new crossover or SUV models in the future. For example, rumors have circulated about a Ford Fusion reincarnated as a lifted all-wheel-drive wagon to compete with the Subaru Outback. Might we see a revived Ford Taurus X crossover in the U.S. market in the near future? Only time will tell. .

Scania Group Press Release / May 20, 2019 Congratulations to the Scania V8, for 50 years of emotion meets logic. Here are some of the milestones and people that made the engine a true legend – the undisputed King of the Road. If there is one person to thank for the development of the engine that became one of Scania’s biggest successes, it would probably be Bengt Gadefelt. Often called “the father of the Scania V8”, the legendary Head of Design of Scania diesel engines from the 1960s to the 1980s anticipated the need for truck engines that would meet the growing demand for more power, especially for timber haulage and heavy long haulage. In the early 1960s, Scania’s inline six 8 and 11-litre engines were able to reach 250 hp, an output sufficient for the long haulage of the time. But the engineers at Scania (then called Scania-Vabis) realised that such outputs would not be sufficient in future, and decided to shake up the engines market. Gadefelt, known for his casual walk-and-talk leadership style and for his habit of leaning over the design engineers’ blueprints pointing out insightful details, was given the task of leading the development of a more powerful engine, a decision Scania took in 1962. “We realised that about 350 hp was needed to achieve good ‘driveability’. That meant approximately 100 hp more than our other engines,” said Gadefelt later, as he looked back at the project. The demands for more powerful truck engines conveniently coincided with the trend for more compact, forward-controlled trucks instead of the torpedo-built trucks that dominated post-war heavy transport. But there was a problem: how to fit a bigger, inline eight engine underneath a forward control cab? The concept that Gadefelt and his colleagues came up with involved a powerful yet very compact power unit: a 90-degree V8 featuring a 14.2-litre swept volume engine. This powertrain concept had all the characteristics that Scania’s engineers were looking for: good tractive power at low engine speeds, few gear changes, and sufficient extra power throughout the entire engine speed range. The first model to be fitted with the new engine, the LB140, quickly won acclaim from the transport industry. Customers appreciated the engine’s appearance, with its V-shaped valve covers on individual cylinder heads, and were delighted with the high 350 hp output combined with a torque curve that encouraged the use of low engine speeds. And of course, there was the distinctive sound – the rumble that would become one of the V8’s most appreciated characteristics. “Scania created a very robust engine that could last very long, even for demanding tasks,” says Ulf Wallin, a former Assistant Chief Engineer at Scania, now Performance Object Leader. “With the V8, we managed to present an engine that, due to its high output and its ability to be driven at low revs, had great fuel economy. And in contrast to other high-output inline engines, the V8 had modest wear and tear on axles, gearboxes and other components in the powertrain.” Scania manufactured more than 170,000 14-litre V8-engines in total, making it by far the best-selling engine in the high-output segment. So far, so good? Not quite. The future of the V8 engine was threatened during the late 1980s, as Scania was working on one of its largest cab redesigns to date, which would become the 4-series that was launched in 1995. Suddenly, with all the challenges of fitting a V8 engine block into the design, it was no longer an obvious choice. Scania’s engineers were split into two camps. Some favoured the idea of an inline six 11 and 14-litre ‘combi engine’ that would take full advantage of the company’s modular system. But the others emphasised the V8’s importance to the Scania brand. As one Chief Engineer put it: “Our V8 also contributes to the sales of our other products.” Luckily, the latter opinion won out. Some years later, Scania had reached another technical cross-roads: how would they fit in the new injection technology that was required for the engine to comply with the new Euro 3 emissions legislation? To solve the challenge, Scania’s engineers started the development of a completely new engine set-up: a V8 with a narrower, 72-degree angle. Around 12 prototypes were built, of which a couple still exist in less-visited corners of Scania’s R&D department. But it was at this point that a certain senior engineer stepped in: Bengt Gadefelt. “He warned that the 72-degree engine would have a very complex layout, especially the crankshaft. Finally, with another injection solution chosen, we chose to develop a totally new 90-degree 16-litre engine instead,” recalls Håkan Fransson, a retired former Scania Chief Engineer. So, even for a faithful workhorse like Scania’s original 14-litre V8, the last lap was approaching. Emissions legislation and environmental requirements were becoming tighter with the arrival of the Euro 3, 4 and 5 standards, and in the mid 1990s Scania prepared itself for a major technological step: developing an entirely new V8 engine to replace the 14-litre. With the arrival of the new millennium, the original legend was finally replaced by the substantially more powerful 16-litre V8, which had power ratings of 480 and 580 hp at 1,900 r/min and up to 2,700 Nm of torque – more than double the original V8 from 1969. Another major step Scania took with the new engine was modularisation: many components, including the cylinder, were the same as the ones used for the inline engines. The modular concept is of enormous importance for synergies in Scania’s development and production, but also beneficial for customers as it eases up service and spare parts handling. The Project Manager for the new D16 engine platform was Jonas Hofstedt, who today is a Vice-President at Scania R&D. “At a personal level it’s still the highpoint of my 35-year career at Scania,” he says. Hofstedt’s core team was a tight-knit group of just ten people, with the responsibility of integrating all kinds of demands: finding suppliers, setting up a new production line, fitting the new design into the chassis and, last but not least, developing an engine that could match its predecessor’s image of performance and reliability. “I’m very proud of the result,” Hofstedt says today. “Scania’s 16-litre V8 platform became a success that no other competitor came close to. Since the launch, it has a well-earned reputation in the high-output segment and is the foundation on which today’s improved and high-performing engine is built.” After the launch of the 16-litre V8 in 2000, work continued within Scania’s engine development. In 2005, the company launched its broadest range of engines to date, including 500, 560 and 620 hp V8s for Euro 3, Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines with up to 3,000 Nm of torque. Here, the engineers were using technologies to match the environmental requirements in the most efficient manner for all types of transport. With Euro 6 legislation rapidly approaching, Scania had put enormous resources into combining all the new engine technologies the company had developed: exhaust gas recirculation, variable turbo geometry, common-rail high-pressure fuel injection, selective catalytic reduction and particulate filtering. Add to that Scania’s own engine and exhaust management technology, which was now integrated into one system. All of these technologies would later be implemented in the V8. In 2010, all of these features came together as Scania took a major developmental step with the 16-litre engine, increasing the swept volume from 15.6 to 16.4 litre and introducing a new, lighter yet stronger cylinder block in CGI (compacted graphite iron). At the same time, Scania presented the world’s most powerful truck engine to date: a 730 hp V8 with a maximum torque of 3,500 Nm. With the R 730, a new legend was born. In the following years, engine and cab development continued to be intense. By the time Scania introduced its new Streamline trucks in 2013, the company was also presenting its second-generation Euro 6 range, including 520, 580 and 730 hp V8 engines. In line with ever-increasing environmental concerns, Scania also continued to develop engines that could run on a range of renewable fuels. Every V8 truck produced since 2015 can run on biodiesel-HVO, and the company also offers several engine alternatives for biodiesel-FAME. Coinciding with the company’s 125th anniversary in 2016, Scania introduced an entirely new truck range. This biggest-ever product launch in the company’s ­history was the result of ten years of development and an investment of over SEK 20 billion (EUR 2 billion). The following year, the company presented the all-new V8 engine for the new truck generation, featuring a further reinforced cylinder block to manage even higher pressure in the future. The new V8 built on many of the successful features from earlier generations, but out of approximately 650 components that make up the entire engine, 200 were completely new. The team that developed the new V8 engine focused on four key areas: increasing fuel efficiency by five to eight percent to improve customers’ profitability, improving serviceability to increase the vehicles’ uptime, improving production processes to increase quality, and a contemporary design that could signify a New Generation Scania. But what would Scania’s V8s be without the people that use them, every day, 24/7, under all conditions? The V8 customers have a special position within Scania’s R&D department. Very skilled and loyal, they are of great importance for Scania when it comes to testing new models and new functionality, not only for the V8s but also for development in general. One of the latest field test drivers for Scania is Rickard Sjöstrand, a Swede who between 2016 and 2017 was putting Scania’s new V8 generation to the test, an S 650 6×2 Euro 6. “The engine is really powerful and works well,” he said. “You would think that a bigger engine would consume more fuel, but it actually consumes three litres fewer per 100 kilometres than my previous Scania V8.” Just starting the engine was a pleasure for Sjöstrand: “This new engine rumbles even better.” Björn Westman, a manager with long experience as Head of Engine Development at Scania says that, through the years, the V8 field test customers have been among the best in giving feedback to Scania’s R&D department. “Their invaluable feedback has meant a lot not only for our V8 development, but also as a spin-off for our engine development as a whole,” says Westman. “It meant that we have been able to maintain the focus on the high-output segment and the whole King of the Road concept.” And maintaining the King of the Road concept is something Scania certainly will continue to do, with the V8 as its foundation. The legend – including its distinctive low rumble – will live on, long beyond the first “roaring fifties”, and it will probably be even more powerful than today’s 730 hp. With thanks to Scania engineers, developers, managers and technical writers past and present, such as Ulf Wallin, Håkan Fransson, Peter Wansölin, Anders Lundström, Jonas Hofstedt, Per-Erik Nordström and Anders Nordner for their insights and facts. .

Volvo Trucks Press Release / May 22, 2019 Brazilian truck driver Aldinan Cézar Rodrigues explains why he loves his job and why he thinks truck drivers deserve greater recognition. . .