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FYI - The American Motors Corporation (AMC) - AM General connection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_General AM General traces its roots to the Standard Wheel Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, which expanded in 1903 to include the Overland Automotive Division. In 1908, John North Willys purchased the Overland company, then based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and renamed it Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. In the 1940s, Willys-Overland developed a vehicle to U.S. Army's requirements and later mass-produced "America's first four-wheel drive one-fourth-ton tactical utility truck"—the Jeep of World War II fame. In 1953, Kaiser Motors purchased Willys-Overland, and changed the name to Kaiser-Willys Motor Company. In 1963 the company's name changed again to Kaiser-Jeep Corporation. In 1964, Kaiser-Jeep purchased the Studebaker facilities in South Bend, Indiana, and formed the Defense and Government Products Division in 1967, which after American Motors purchased Kaiser-Jeep became what is now AM General. AM General's roots (and its location in South Bend) also lie with the "General Products Division" of Studebaker, which, along with its substantial defense contracts, was acquired by Kaiser Industries in early 1964 after Studebaker closed its U.S. auto manufacturing operations. At the time, Kaiser had been awarded a US$87 million Army truck contract, and under government pressure agreed to perform the work at the South Bend plant it had recently acquired from Studebaker. Subsequently, American Motors Corporation (AMC) purchased the Jeep Corporation from Kaiser in 1970 when Kaiser itself decided to leave the auto business. In 1971, AMC made the General Products Division of Jeep (producing military trucks, as well as contract and non-commercial vehicles) a wholly owned subsidiary and renamed it AM General Corporation. AM General produced buses, large trucks, and Jeeps for industrial, military, and government use. In the late 1970s, it developed the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, nicknamed "Humvee") for military use as a heavy-duty replacement for the jeep. The vehicle later became available in a civilian version sold under the Hummer brand name. Another familiar product from the AM General line was the Jeep DJ-5 series—a purpose built "Dispatch Jeep" 2-wheel drive (RWD) version of the Jeep CJ-5—used in huge numbers as a right-hand drive mail delivery vehicle by the United States Postal Service. Production of buses lasted only from 1974 until 1979. American Motors ended its history as an independent automaker in 1982 when controlling interest in the company was purchased by France's Renault. U.S. government regulations at that time forbade ownership of defense contractors by foreign governments, and Renault was partially owned by the French government. Therefore, in 1983, AM General was sold by AMC to the LTV Corporation and it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. (As a result, AM General remained an independent company after AMC was purchased by Chrysler Corporation.)

South Bend Tribune / June 23, 2017 Military truck producer AM General has agreed to sell its commercial assembly plant to SF Motors, a Chinese-owned electric vehicle company, in a move that will preserve more than 400 auto jobs in Mishawaka, the company announced Thursday. The sale, including the land, plant and certain manufacturing equipment, doesn’t include AM General’s military assembly plant, where it produces the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or “Humvee,” for military-related business. SF Global will pay $110 million for the 700,000-square-foot plant, according to publicly available filings, and make $30 million in “key upgrades” to the facility, which sits between McKinley Highway and Jefferson Boulevard, west of Bittersweet Road. The sale, which is subject to U.S. and Chinese regulatory approvals, is expected to close later this year, preserving about 430 jobs in Mishawaka, including 368 union jobs. “We are confident that SF Motors is the right long-term owner to support the (plant), as well as the South Bend community and the State of Indiana,” Andy Hove, president and CEO of AM General, said in a statement Thursday. “This transaction puts the (plant) on solid ground to keep the assembly lines running,” Hove said, “providing our tremendously talented and dedicated employees new opportunities as part of SF Motors and its plans to produce next generation electric vehicles.” SF Motors is a subsidiary of Sokon Industry Group, a publicly-traded company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange that is principally engaged in the research, development, manufacture and sales of automobiles, engines and accessories. The company, based in Silicon Valley, Calif., will use the commercial assembly plant to produce “intelligent” electric vehicles, with materials sourced primarily from U.S. sources, after a one- to two-year period of retooling. AM General announced the sale to employees Thursday morning. “We didn’t expect it, but we knew the company was having a hard time locking in long-term work here,” said Don Brody, chair of UAW Local 5. “I think it will be a good thing in the long run.” “Off-hand, it’s good news,” said Joe Taylor, a state representative and president of the local union. “It’s retaining 400-plus jobs in this community.” AM General had planned mass layoffs at the plant beginning in October, when its sole remaining customer contract, with Mercedes-Benz for the R-Class, a luxury vehicle for the Chinese market, expires. It ceased production of the MV-1, a purpose-built wheelchair accessible vehicle sold by Mobility Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of AM General, at the plant last year. The future of that vehicle is not clear. In a statement, SF Motors said its position as a “US-based and American operated company headquartered in Silicon Valley, which respects and honors American rules and tradition. “The company, which will launch an American-made electric vehicle in the near future and will acquire an AM General facility, plans to keep the factory's existing 430 autoworker jobs with the goal of expanding operations in the future and creating even more positions,” the company said. It said it “hopes to become a leader in the new energy automotive space, and this acquisition and the surplus of talent that comes with it, will allow SF Motors to upgrade the commercial facility, enhance the local economy, and create a clean American-made electric vehicle.” As part of the deal, SF Motors has agreed to assume the current three-year contract with the union, Brody said, though it could be two years or more before the plant is ready for production. Until then, Brody said, “We’ll help employees the best we can to relocate and find different jobs.” Asked about working for a foreign boss, he said, “Basically, being a UAW member, we would like to have a U.S. manufacturer here, but they have accepted us as a union, and we are going to accept them as well.” He added, “I think it’s going to be a good thing in the end.” Fellow employee Kevin McClintock was more cautious in his assessment. "There's a lot of talk, a lot of talk, and it's all conjecture, all rumor,” McClintock said. "I don't know anything. I don't think anybody knows anything right now.” Asked about the prospect of assembling electric vehicles, McClintock said, “I don’t care what kind of car I’m making. I want steady work, and if this does that it will be great.” The sale brings to an unceremonious end to AM General’s 15-year foray into commercial vehicle production. The South Bend-based company originally built the $200 million plant for the H2, a civilian version of the Humvee sold by General Motors Corp, in 2002. The H3, produced in Louisiana, followed, but GM declared bankruptcy in 2009 and production of both models ended. Subsequent attempts to sell the brand, including to China-based Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. and U.S.-based Raser Technologies, were not successful. This is not the first effort by a foreign company to build an electric vehicle here. Bright Automotive announced a deal to produce a plug-in hybrid van at the former H2 plant in 2011, but the Anderson, Ind.-based company could not secure funding for the project and closed. Think North America, meanwhile, briefly operated an assembly plant in Elkhart County, where it employed a few dozen people and produced several hundred two-seat electric vehicles before closing in 2012. The Norwegian-owned company had originally planned to hire 400 people and produce 2,500 vehicles at the plant annually. There was also a much ballyhooed, but ultimately short-lived, effort by Navistar Inc. in Wakarusa to manufacture electric delivery trucks. Then President Obama even visited the Navistar plant in August 2009 to help launch the project, which fizzled in 2013. That effort was spurred by a $39.2 million federal stimulus grant. .

Ram spy photos hint at longer wheelbase, split tailgate Automotive News / June 27, 2017 Spy photographers have caught the redesigned Ram 1500 during testing, and despite heavy camouflage some features of the truck are evident, including an apparent longer wheelbase and a new tailgate that folds down and splits in the middle to provide closer access to the bed. The next-generation light-duty pickup, which carries the DT body code, is to be revealed in January at the Detroit auto show. Fiat Chrysler will begin production of the truck that month at a retooled Sterling Heights, Mich., assembly plant. FCA will continue building the current version, the DS Ram 1500, at the nearby Warren Assembly plant in suburban Detroit while production of the DT version ramps up, supplier sources say. As Automotive News first reported in September, the next-generation Ram 1500 will continue to use steel for most of its body panels instead of switching to aluminum like the Ford F-150. The pickup's exterior styling will be largely evolutionary, keeping the accentuated raised hood and mammoth chrome grille, albeit in a slightly changed shape, according to sources. The headlights will shrink and be more integrated into the grille than those of the current generation, giving the vehicle's front fascia a toughened, squinty appearance. Under the hood, the new Ram 1500 is expected to get an upgraded 3.6-liter Pentastar engine with direct injection. A turbocharged inline-four will be optional, according to spy shots. FCA officials have said that the company plans to incorporate fuel-saving belt-start generators in its next-generation pickups to further improve fuel economy. But continuation of the Ram's 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel in the new generation depends on FCA working out legal concerns with federal regulators over alleged, undeclared engine control software discovered during testing. New technologies under the hood will require more air, forcing designers to include a new large air intake above the tow hooks on the front bumper. Horizontal fog lights integrated into the front bumper will largely mimic the styling of the headlights above, sources said. Staying with steel will allow the Ram to separate itself from competitors by using more complex shapes in its body panels. The pickup's side panels, for example, are said to feature a styling line -- front-to-rear including around the top of the wheel wells -- to evoke a more muscular stance. At the rear, the retooled Ram's taillights will be smaller, with backup lights integrated vertically nearer the tailgate, instead of their current location at the bottom of the taillights. Inside the cab, the biggest change is expected to come in a new, flattened center console layout that will allow for additional storage space, along with an infotainment system upgrade to the latest versions of FCA's Uconnect system, sources said. Photo gallery - http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CA&Date=20170626&Category=PHOTOS01&ArtNo=626009993&Ref=PH .

Ford hatching Ranger Raptor variant Automotive News / June 27, 2017 Ford Motor Co. is hatching plans for a Raptor performance variant of the forthcoming Ranger midsize pickup. Spy photos of a camouflaged Ranger on Ford's test track in Dearborn, Mich., show a more aggressive front end than what's shown in spy shots of the standard Ranger. The latest photos also show what appear to be large fender flares, a hallmark of the F-150 Raptor. It's unclear what engines the Ranger will feature, but they could include the 2.7-liter EcoBoost found in the F-150. The Ranger's engine is expected to be paired with Ford's new 10-speed transmission, which the automaker is rolling out across its lineup. Ford, in a statement, said it does not comment on future product or camouflaged vehicles in spy photos. In January at the Detroit auto show, the automaker announced plans to revive the Ranger, with production of the 2019 model beginning late next year at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. It will compete against the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Toyota Tacoma. Ford last sold the Ranger in the U.S. in 2012, but it continues to build and sell it globally. Photo gallery - http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CA&Date=20170626&Category=PHOTOS01&ArtNo=626009992&Ref=PH&Profile=1200 .

Volvo Trucks Press Release / June 26, 2017 Every year, according to the World Health Organization, more than 260,000 young people die in traffic accidents. Too many of these accidents involve trucks. In one year alone Volvo Trucks ‘Stop Look Wave’ campaign has taught over 100,000 children from around the world, to be safer around trucks and heavy traffic. Learn more: http://www.volvotrucks.com/stoplookwave .

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The Flex is extremely popular in California.

GM now expects $5.5B charge from its sale of Opel Reuters / June 27, 2017 DETROIT -- General Motors now expects the charge for its sale of Opel to PSA Group to reach $5.5 billion versus its previous estimate of $4.5 billion, due to additional costs associated with the deal, Chuck Stevens, GM's CFO, said on Monday. Opel said earlier this month that its sale to PSA could be completed as early as July 31, pending regulatory approval from antitrust authorities, after the companies initially said the transaction could be completed by year end. GM said in March that it would sell its chronic money-losing European operations of Germany's Opel and UK sister brand Vauxhall to PSA. Stevens also told analysts on a conference call that GM expects new vehicle sales in the U.S. to hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of "low 17 million" units for 2017 and reiterated the company's target to bring U.S. inventories of its vehicles down to 70 days' supply by December from 110 days in June.

Transport Topics / June 26, 2017 Leaders of Jack Cooper Holdings Corp., North America’s largest auto hauler, are approaching completion of intense negotiations to reorganize a major portion of the company’s debt. CEO Michael Riggs said in a June 22 interview the situation is highly fluid, and the outcome of the reorganization talks is not guaranteed either way, but he thinks a decision could be made by June 30 that will enable the parent of Jack Cooper Transport to stay out of court. The company said in a press release earlier in June that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy remains a possibility, but as of June 22 no such case had been started. Riggs emphasized the discussions concern two tranches of publicly traded Jack Cooper debt and nothing else. The larger batch is $375 million worth of Jack Cooper Holdings Corp. senior secured notes paying 9.25% per year. The other group is $58.6 million worth of Jack Cooper Enterprises Inc. senior payment-in-kind toggle notes that pay 10.5% or 11.25%. The JCEI notes are due in 2019 and the JCHC notes in 2020. JCEI owns JCHC, which owns Jack Cooper Transport. Riggs said his family owns a majority of Jack Cooper Enterprises. The company is based in Kansas City, Mo., and ranks No. 42 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada. It also is the largest vehicle hauler on the list. Company executives have been working with note holders to reach an agreement. As of June 15, 77.4% of the JCHC note holders had reached a definitive agreement with the company, and talks were underway at the time with more debt holders to get to 89.2%. The company is offering to repurchase notes for cash or cash and stock but at a discount to face value. Riggs said the company’s goal is to decrease Cooper’s debt levels and “extinguish $300 million in debt.” The June 15 company statement said the firm is offering to repurchase $1,000 worth of JCEI notes for $150 in cash and other payments. The offer for $1,000 of JCHC notes is to repurchase for $550 in cash and warrants to buy company stock. Riggs said he wants as much approval for the two offers from note holders as possible by the end of the month. If that does not work out, he said a “surgical pre-pack” in court is a possibility, referring to a prepackaged plan of reorganization where a company goes into a federal bankruptcy court offering a reorganization plan at the same time it is asking for relief. Such a move, if it comes to pass, would affect only the two tranches of debt in question. “It wouldn’t change the union deal, the other employees, the suppliers or customers,” Riggs said. 2017 has been an eventful year for Jack Cooper. At the end of March, the company won approval of a contract with the Teamsters union, providing stability through May 2021. The previous labor pact had lapsed 19 months earlier. Shortly after the labor contract took effect, Cooper announced that Nissan North America would terminate its relationship with Cooper effective in July. As is common among auto haulers, the company’s customer base is very small. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cooper said in the first quarter this year General Motors Co. made up 45% of revenue, Ford Motor Co. was 34% and Toyota Motor Sales USA was 13%, leaving 8% from all other customers. Cooper had first-quarter revenue of $161.4 million, on which it produced $5.38 million in operating income. Net interest expense was $12.8 million, or more than twice operating income, yielding a net loss of $6.89 million for the quarter. The company’s balance sheet, also filed with the SEC, showed assets of $248.8 million on March 31, and total liabilities of $642.2 million, including $477.8 million in long-term debt less current maturities. Shareholders deficit was $357.4 million. .

Larry Kahaner, Fleet Owner / June 26, 2017 Many truck drivers still aren't taking the proper precautions against UV rays, because they believe they can't penetrate side window glass. Sometimes they’re right but sometimes they’re wrong. Truck driver Bill McElligott may have the world's most famous left side of a face. Five years ago his photo was featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, accompanying a story about Unilateral Dermatoheliosis – damage to skin on half of his face caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Photos of the 69-year old truck driver – who had been on the road for 28-years – were shown by hundreds of media outlets throughout the world and prompted a rush by many people, especially truckers, to learn how they can protect themselves. Unfortunately, many drivers still aren't taking the proper precautions against UV rays, because they believe that UV rays can't penetrate window glass (some do and some don't), they've tinted their windows (which don't always protect against sun damage) and they wear sunglasses while behind the wheel (they may not have the right kind). The sun emits three kinds of UV rays, all of which are invisible: UV-A is the most damaging to skin and eyes; UV-B rays are less damaging, and UV-C rays are absorbed by the atmosphere and thus not a factor. For the most part, UV-B rays cannot penetrate glass so a trucker who keeps the side window closed on his or her vehicle is protected from them while driving. But what many drivers don’t know is that each type of window glass in their truck cabs offers different levels of protection against the more dangerous UV-A rays. By federal mandate, trucks must adhere to the same glass standards as cars. The front and back windows must be laminated glass; a “sandwich” made of glass-plastic-glass layered atop one another. Upon impact, that type of glass turns into a spider web of cracks that protect the driver from glass fragments – but it also offers protection against UV rays, according to Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler. “That plastic film is where the UV protection is and that’s what also makes the window shatter proof,” he said. “In our study we found that UV protection of the front windshield was on average 96%.” That study, published in the May 12, 2016 edition of the Journal of the American Association Ophthalmology, tested 29 automobiles and assessed their UV protection. However, Wachler noted that side windows in automobiles are crafted from tempered glass; designed to shatter into tiny, benign pieces upon impact. But they also let in a lot more UV rays – on average about 71% more. "This explains why we see a lot more damage to the left side of the face, including eye damage," he explained. What about tinted windows? Trucks are allowed to have tinted windows provided that 70% of the normal light is transmitted. "Some tints will have really good UV protection, but not all do,” Wachler stressed. “Drivers cannot assume that if they have tinted windows that they are protected from UV.” He added that if you want to tint your windows, make sure to get tinting that offers high UV protection. Wachler offers a free, reusable card that allows drivers to check the UV exposure in their cabs: Click here for it. "We have sent out thousands of them," he noted. As for sunglasses, UV protection is not an issue but style is. "The good news about sunglasses is that, by law, sunglasses must offer a very high level of UV protection, so it doesn’t really matter if they’re expensive or cheap sunglasses," he emphasized. Wachler pointed out, though, that the key to sunglass protection is the frame. "It should be a wrap-around, versus a wayfarer type of frame, which is just straight. You should get the kind that hugs your face like some of the sports-types,” he said. “Wraparounds prevent the sun from sneaking around the edge of the frames and hitting your eyes." (By placing the UV card behind sunglasses, you can test their protection, too.) Wachler also noted that drivers should wear sunscreen and a hat to keep the sun from hitting their forehead and the rest of their face. While most people know about the sun's skin cancer-causing rays, they may be less familiar with eye damage caused by UV rays. First, prolonged sun can cause an increase in cataracts and macular degeneration, Wachler explained: "Once cataracts develop there’s really no way to treat it other than surgery." Another sun-caused malady is keratoconus, a disease in which collagen in the cornea is made weaker. "We definitely see people, including truck drivers, who come in with keratoconus; it’s much more common than everybody thinks; about 1 in 500 people,” he said. “So we are able, with a procedure that I developed, to improve people’s vision so that they can keep their job, which is being a truck driver.” Still another disease is pterygium, which is a fleshy growth on the white of the eye that becomes very red and can grow onto the cornea and cause vision problems,” Wachler noted. In conclusion, he noted that most people still maintain a perception that if they’re in their car or truck, then they’re protected from the sun’s UV rays. “I, myself, an eye specialist, thought this before we did the study," Wachler noted, who is also the author of a book Perceptual Intelligence, which delves into why people receive and interpret information differently. "It’s such an interesting phenomenon between what people perceive and what is reality." .

Automotive News / June 26, 2017 A low-risk, high-reward proposition for automakers They had been left for dead as recently as this decade. Hulking dinosaurs, reeking of inefficiency and poor ride quality, body-on-frame SUVs were supposed to have ceded their turf to crossovers and moved firmly into the industry's rearview mirror by now. Consumers had other plans. While the overall number of body-on-frame SUV nameplates has shrunk since their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, the remaining players are thriving. So healthy are sales and profit margins for their makers and sellers that new variants such as the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler pickup are set to join the fray. It's a group of vehicles steeped in tradition and backstory. Like the Mustang and Corvette, they're among the one-name models in the industry: Wrangler, 4Runner, Bronco. Among the factors driving today's healthy market for body-on-frame SUVs: • Gasoline prices are down and expected to stay there while SUV fuel efficiency is up — somewhat. This combination gives consumers and automakers confidence to invest in a body-on-frame SUV. • The economy has recovered from the recession, so consumers are again looking at discretionary purchases. • With most nameplates switching to a unibody setup, there's less competition for the remaining body-on-frame models. Crucially, because most of these vehicles share their components with either high-volume pickups domestically or other SUV models sold globally, a body-on-frame SUV is a low-risk, high-reward proposition for their makers. "Because you're not starting with an all-new platform, you're starting with something and leveraging an investment you've already made. It just makes [an SUV] much easier and less risky," Craig Patterson, Ford's large-SUV marketing manager, told Automotive News. The low-risk, high-reward rationale is driving Ford's decision to resurrect the Bronco nameplate in 2020. When it arrives, the new Bronco will ride on the same platform as the upcoming Ford Ranger midsize pickup — one currently sold in other markets globally. Thus, if the Bronco debuts and Ford dealers hear crickets from consumers, the automaker won't face a huge loss. Conversely, when a pickup-based SUV sells well, it can mean big profits for the automaker. Ford has other reasons for stepping up its SUV game. Like all automakers, Ford sees consumers' preference for light trucks as a permanent evolution. By adding the Bronco to its lineup, Ford can diversify its portfolio to lure in — or keep — a consumer who might have otherwise picked a Wrangler or 4Runner when they wanted a capable off-road machine. Ford also has a portfolio of fuel-efficient engines to offer in the new Bronco that it didn't the last time it sold the 4x4 back in 1996. Thus, body-on-frame construction doesn't necessarily mean terrible fuel economy. Patterson said the use of Ford's EcoBoost turbocharged engines in the Bronco was "inevitable" though he declined to discuss specifics. Lucrative customization Then there's the customization factor. Because these types of SUVs are often discretionary purchases that fall under the "want" category rather than "need," they're often bought by the kind of person who isn't content with a stock vehicle. "To be considered legitimate in the off-road space, you have to be able to give the folks what they want — and what they want is to be able to customize it," Patterson said. Ford plans a full line of accessories and modifications for the Bronco — many of which will land at dealerships pre-installed. One has only to look to Fiat Chrysler's use of its Mopar products on Wranglers to see the potential. Several years ago, Mopar head Pietro Gorlier made the shrewd decision to grab a larger slice of the massive aftermarket industry that existed in the Wrangler's orbit. The 4x4 has been ranked by the Specialty Equipment Market Association as the most customized SUV on the market every year since 2010, a market that spends billions of dollars annually customizing light trucks. Built-in Mopar FCA gets in on the action early, modifying many of its Wranglers with Mopar parts at the Toledo Assembly Complex where they're assembled. Thus, they arrive at dealerships with aftermarket options that are covered by warranty, creating a tempting new toy for someone looking to avoid the hassle and expense of customizing their Wrangler part by part. On average, each Jeep Wrangler has $850 worth of customization, according to data released by FCA at the 2016 SEMA show. Plus, higher transaction prices for these Wranglers means higher amounts financed. All of this adds up to a significant windfall for both FCA and its dealers. FCA declined comment for this story. Wrangler aficionados will soon have a new toy to play with. Jeep's highly anticipated next-gen Wrangler is expected to be on sale by the end of this year. When it does, it will bring with it new iterations that show FCA's confidence in spending precious development dollars on one of its most iconic models. A pickup iteration of the Wrangler will give FCA a midsize competitor to the highly popular Toyota Tacoma and GM Canyon/Colorado duo, while a diesel Wrangler in the U.S. market will help fuel economy figures. History has favored Jeep when it expands the Wrangler's offerings. It wasn't until 2007 that Jeep sold a four-door model known as the Wrangler Unlimited; today this higher-content version makes up about 75 percent of U.S. Wrangler sales, which totaled 191,774 in 2016. Dealers lobby Consumer and dealer enthusiasm for these kinds of SUVs have gone a long way toward ensuring their survival. Toyota experienced this firsthand. "[SUVs'] biggest impact is the emotional element; buyers desire these products, they're willing to pay for them," Andrew Coetzee, Toyota's group vice president for product planning and strategy told Automotive News. "It's not just a must-have, it's a want. It's an emotional draw, which means they're flexible in what they buy." This makes a difference to dealers, who value this type of consumer and let Toyota know about it. This has saved the body-on-frame 4Runner at least once. Several years ago with gasoline prices at their peak and stiffer regulations looming, the Japanese automaker was reconsidering whether it was prudent to continue selling the 4Runner in the U.S. At the time, Toyota's RAV4 and Highlander unibody crossovers were vastly outselling the 4Runner — they still do — and the crossovers were doing so while being significantly more fuel efficient. But after customers and dealers — a group with whom Toyota has a close, deferential relationship — spoke up in favor of the venerable 4Runner, the automaker's confidence in the 4Runner's business case was renewed and Toyota left it alone. "That's always something that makes a difference for us," Coetzee said of both dealer and customer support. "It's tough to deny their voice, so we try hard to try and match what they're looking for." The move was a prescient one. Despite the current model's age, 4Runner sales were up 15 percent in 2016 to 111,970; through May of this year they're also up 15 percent. That doesn't mean that the 4Runner's identity is inextricably linked to being a body-on-frame vehicle, however. While there are no current plans to swap the 4Runner to unibody, it's not outside the realm of possibility. "In theory, I think there's some openness on the part of buyers as to how their vehicles are built," Coetzee said. "I'm not sure you'll see us abandon [body on frame] any time soon. I'm just open to any scenario of how engineers can develop tough vehicles because I think our people are capable of change over time." Land Rover is a perfect example of consumers' openness to change if the vehicles' off-road abilities remain stout. With the recent replacement of the LR4 with the Discovery, Land Rover now lacks a body-on-frame vehicle for the first time in its long and storied off-road history (the next-generation Defender could return as body-on-frame when it debuts within a year). Yet sales — and owners' perception of strength — remains a key selling point for Land Rover. 4Runner loyalists As with the Wrangler, the 4Runner has enjoyed a loyal following since it was introduced in the U.S. in 1984. Like many original SUVs of that era, the 4Runner was essentially Toyota's pickup with a different body on top — in this case, a removable fiberglass roof covering a second row of seats and a rollbar. It was launched to compete with the second-generation Jeep Cherokee, also from the class of 1984, kicking off a golden era of body-on-frame SUVs in the U.S. that would include the Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Isuzu Trooper, Chevy S-10 Blazer, Honda Passport and Mitsubishi Montero. (Ironically, another standout from that era, Jeep's second-generation Cherokee, was a beefed-up unibody design.) These models were downsized from the large, unwieldy Suburbans and were more family-friendly than the two-door Chevy K5 Blazer or Ford Bronco of the era. The new SUVs promised the practicality of the station wagons baby boomers had grown up with, with an extra dose of ruggedness baked in. Automakers loved the prospect of selling SUVs instead of station wagons to consumers since SUVs were cheap to produce and counted as a light truck, therefore facing less-strict fuel economy standards. Lower costs meant more profits for automakers and cheaper prices for consumers. Everything was fine in SUV-land until Toyota took this evolution one step further in 1994 and introduced the first modern unibody crossover, the RAV4. It promised the best attributes of SUVs: practicality, commanding view of the road, all-wheel drive and the impression of safety, while adding better fuel efficiency and comfort. Lexus came next in 1998 with the RX, kicking off the luxury crossover revolution. Other automakers quickly followed suit, adapting their sedan platforms to accommodate a crossover body. In 1999, the 10 crossover models on the market made up 6.4 percent of all passenger vehicle sales in the U.S. In 2005, 38 crossovers accounted for 14.5 percent of the market; in 2016 there were 77 models eating up a third of all sales. SUV sales went in the other direction: 1995 saw 31 models making up an 11.9 percent market share; in 2005 it was 55 models and 12.6 percent market share and in 2016, 29 models made up 7.5 percent share. The body-on-frame SUV was no longer the high-flying king of the road. But it has a bright future as a profitable prince.

Volkswagen Group Press Release / June 2017 With its strategic alliance with U.S. commercial vehicle manufacturer Navistar, Volkswagen Truck & Bus aims to take a big step forward on its way to becoming a Global Champion. Navistar is one of the industry's giants in the United States, where it operates the industry's largest dealer network and has an annual turnover of 8.1 billion dollars. In Europe, however, its name is almost unknown. The opposite is true for Volkswagen Truck & Bus: The brands MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles are highly familiar names to Europeans, and have a long history. However, they are largely unknown in the U.S. except for industry specialists. What would happen if the two companies were to join forces in order to combine their respective strengths? This is exactly what a business deal accomplished on March 1, 2017. Today, Volkswagen Truck & Bus and Navistar are partners. They have formed a strategic alliance from which both parties will benefit. For this purpose, Volkswagen Truck & Bus acquired a 16.6% stake in the U.S. manufacturer – an important step in implementing Volkswagen Truck & Bus’s Global Champion strategy. This long-term investment was officially approved only a few months ago, yet initial results have already been achieved. The partners have set up a joint venture to explore joint purchasing opportunities, which is expected to save considerable amounts of money within three years. But that is not all. "We are discussing projects that we could develop together," says Eric Tech. He is an American and one of the two managers who are responsible for the coordination and implementation of the alliance. Eric Tech comes from Navistar and nowadays works in Södertälje, Sweden. Located in the vicinity of Stockholm, this is also the home of Scania, one of the Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands. The alliance is domiciled in a different part of the city, however, on the top floor of an office building. Eric Tech believes firmly in this strategic alliance: "Before entering it, we looked at many possible partners. However, Volkswagen Truck & Bus was exactly the right one for us." In 2016 alone, more than 200,000 heavy trucks were sold in the United States. To date, it has been a hindrance for Volkswagen Truck & Bus not to have a presence there. Creating a new organization for its brands, in turn, would have been too expensive. Navistar is very well positioned in the U.S. and Canada, with a market share of 16 percent in school buses and heavy trucks. The company is also the largest manufacturer of the famous yellow school bus. Every day, millions of children in the U.S. are picked up with these buses from the farthest corners of this enormous country. The boxy yellow vehicles are a symbol of safety and reliability. "Here too we can envisage joint projects," adds Frederik Zohm. In the meantime, both parties have been working together on future technologies. This includes the mega trend of digitization, which eventually will lead to connecting whole truck fleets. In the future, the respective digital platforms will be coordinated in such a manner that the databases for both partners will be significantly expanded – which will help everyone. Similar effects are expected from cooperation in the areas of alternative motor fuels or autonomous driving. The potential is enormous, emphasizes Frederik Zohm: “As we speak, joint working groups are looking for projects. Fact is, they are coming up with more ideas than we can even realize." While Volkswagen Truck & Bus drivetrains will be present on the U.S. market in the future, Navistar is not thinking of making an appearance in Europe. "We will remain in America,” says Eric Tech. Its goal at the moment is to rebuild its market share. With the help of its new partner Volkswagen Truck & Bus. 100 years of history At Volkswagen Truck & Bus, the project is led by Frederik Zohm, who is enthusiastic about it: "We can become active in North America without first having to painstakingly build up our own brand," he states. After all, Navistar already has more than 100 years of history with the International Truck and IC Bus brands in the region. An immense challenge The company, however, is also facing an immense challenge. While it is well-known for the high quality of its vehicle bodies and operator cabs, there is a gap when it comes to drivetrain technology. A few years ago, this almost drove Navistar into ruin. At the time, the company had placed its bets on an alternative path for diesel emission aftertreatment, which ultimately did not work out technically. Its market share in the United States dropped as a result. Thus, Navistar is placing a new bet on the renowned drivetrains of Volkswagen Truck & Bus. The new A26 engine with 12.4 liter capacity will mark the beginning. It is based on an engine that has long been used successfully by MAN and that will be modified for the United States. Components work together perfectly "We will benefit from the ability to offer integrated drivetrains," is how Eric Tech explains this step. Until now, customers picked the engines and transmissions for their trucks from different suppliers. Navistar then built them into its own chassis. In contrast, there is the integrated truck, which has largely become the industry standard. All individual components work together perfectly since they have been developed for this specific purpose. European expertise In the future, Navistar trucks will be able to claim that their drive systems have been developed based on European expertise. "This has a nice ring to it in the United States, since Europeans are well-known for their quality," says Tech. This way, Volkswagen Truck & Bus will come closer to reaching its goal: becoming a Global Champion in the commercial vehicle segment. "To this end, we must grow and we need new customers - for example, in the United States," says Zohm. North America is, after all, one of the largest commercial vehicle markets in the world. .

Renault Trucks Press Release / June 23, 2017 Because it follows a rigorous remanufacturing industrial process, the quality of the c is better than some of the competitors’ ones. This video demonstrates how the Renault Trucks engine can keep your vehicle’s original performance. .

MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / June 22, 2017 Showdown in the pit lane with Frank „Buschi“ Buschmann: This is what sport's all about! Effectively reduce your TCO. With MAN: https://go.man/EhAtjZse .

Volvo Group Press Release / June 21, 2017 The Volvo Group’s new truck engines are more fuel efficient as a result of their intelligent piston design. Waves have been added to the piston crown to improve the use of oxygen. The more efficient combustion process it delivers has halved the quantity of soot particles emitted by the engine and has also reduced fuel consumption by an average of two percent. .

Speak with anyone who has had a heart attack, or coronary bypass surgery. They'll most likely open your eyes with a sobering discussion.

My friend, if someone described me a bigot, I would simply exercise my freedom (ability) to walk away. Done deal. Life's too short. Step "out of the box" for a moment, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, "Is it really worth getting high blood pressure over?" Well, of course it's not. There's a measure of truth in everyone's thoughts, but no two person's thoughts are identical because we're all different (The world would be an awful dull place if we were all the same).

In life, and particularly when engaging in truck sales in over 100 countries around the globe, I hear thousands of opinions contrary to my own. I can fully agree with some opinions, see clear to understand the thought process of many without fully agreeing, and disagree with others. When I'm confronted with an opinion I don't agree with, out of mutual respect, I listen to it and then [mentally] simply walk away. Why get worked up over another person's opinion? Life's too short. Giving yourself high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack. Is it worth it?

The $1.5 Trillion Business Tax Change Flying Under the Radar The Wall Street Journal / June 25, 2017 Republicans looking to rewrite the U.S. tax code are taking aim at one of the foundations of modern finance -- the deduction that companies get for interest they pay on debt. That deduction affects everyone from titans of Wall Street who load up on junk bonds to pay for multibillion-dollar corporate takeovers to wheat farmers in the Midwest looking to make ends meet before harvest. Yet a House Republican proposal to eliminate the deduction has gotten relatively little sustained public attention or lobbying pressure. Thanks in part to the deduction, the U.S. financial system is heavily oriented toward debt, which is cheaper than equity financing and widely accessible. In 2015, U.S. businesses paid in all $1.3 trillion in gross interest, according to Commerce Department data, equal in magnitude to the total economic output of Australia. Getting rid of the deduction for net interest expense, as House Republicans propose, would alter finance. It also would generate about $1.5 trillion in revenue for the government over a decade, according to the Tax Foundation, allowing for investment breaks and rate cuts elsewhere in the tax code. The dollars at stake are even more than another controversial proposal being pushed by House Republicans known as border adjustment, which would tax imports and exempt exports. The border adjustment plan has been under attack from retailers and Republican senators, whose resistance has put it on the brink of failure. But the idea of eliminating or limiting the interest deduction has generated less vocal opposition, giving it a real chance of passage, perhaps in a scaled-back form. "The overall goal is to be pro-growth. What we're proposing is to take the tax preference from the source of funds, borrowing, and take that preference to the use of funds, business investment and buildings, equipment, software, technology," Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas), the author of the plan, said at The Wall Street Journal CFO network this month. In a world with no interest deduction, debt-fueled leveraged buyouts by private-equity titans could become more expensive to finance and junk bonds less appealing. "That's not necessarily bad for society," said David Beim, a retired finance professor at ColumbiaUniversity. "We have too much systemic financial risk in our economy." But for some debt-reliant businesses the interest deduction's demise could be a significant blow. Crop growers who depend on bridge loans to work through seasonal business fluctuations could face higher tax bills for little benefit. Andy Hill, who farms corn and soybeans on about 600 acres in north-central Iowa, said he pays less than $10,000 a year in interest on a line of credit between $100,000 and $200,000. That loan helps him bridge gaps between his expenses and his income, between when he needs to buy seed and fertilizer and when he sells his crops. "[Losing the ability to deduct interest] wouldn't put me in the red by any stretch of the imagination, but it makes it very debilitating as far as household income," said Mr. Hill, who added that he has spoken to both of his senators and his House member about the issue. Midsize businesses may also get squeezed. "The people that utilize debt, they utilize it because they don't have the cash and they don't have the access to equity," said Robert Moskovitz, chief financial officer of Leaf Commercial Capital, which finances businesses' purchases of items like copiers and telephone systems. "A dry cleaner in Des Moines, Iowa? Where is he going to get equity? He can't do an IPO." The idea behind the Republican plan is to pair the elimination of this deduction together with immediate deductions for investments in equipment and other long-lived assets. Party leaders expect the capital write-offs would encourage more investment and growth and greater worker productivity, but not the debt often associated with it. From an accounting standpoint, the tradeoff could hurt companies' reported earnings because immediate expensing would just shift the timing of deductions and the loss of the interest deduction would be a permanent change. Dennis Kelleher, chief financial officer of CF Industries Holdings Inc., a fertilizer manufacturer, said at a conference in May that the most important thing for the company would be a lower corporate tax rate. "I don't think that's a good thing," he said of repealing the interest deduction. "I suspect that won't happen because it would be rather destabilizing, just to the capital markets generally." Unlike border adjustment, the idea of accelerating investment write-offs has broad support from conservative groups, such as the National Taxpayers Union, and some support from Democrats, including Jason Furman, who was President Barack Obama's chief economist. It was a move in the opposite direction, toward longer depreciation schedules, that helped doom a Republican tax plan in 2014. The tax code treats equity financing more harshly than debt. While interest is deductible, dividend payments typically aren't. Corporate profits can thus be subject to two layers of tax -- once at the business level and then when it goes to shareholders in the form of a dividend. That means the effective marginal tax rate on equity-financed corporate investments is 34.5%, according to a report released by the Treasury Department this year in the waning days of the Obama administration. The corresponding rate for debt-financed investment is negative 5%. That subsidy for corporate debt "potentially creates a large tax-induced distortion in business decision making," the report says. But borrowing and deducting interest are deeply ingrained in American corporate finance as a normal cost of doing business. Dislodging the traditional practice will be challenging. Some firms might look to borrow offshore instead to reap tax benefits elsewhere. "I don't even think people think about it much," said Robert Pozen, a senior lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management. "It's clear that they're going to finance it by debt if they have a big acquisition or a big project." Because so much is at stake for so many sectors, writing the law could get messy. Mr. Brady said small businesses and utilities could get exceptions or specialized rules, as would debt-financed purchases of land, which wouldn't be eligible for immediate investment write-offs. The administration, including a president who proclaimed himself the "king of debt," has been wary of repealing the interest deduction but hasn't drawn a hard line. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has said his preference is to keep it. Resistance could build among Republicans in Congress and among real-estate firms and the agriculture industry, which have formed a coalition to fight the proposal. Yet financial markets so far have registered little reaction to the prospect of the interest deduction going away. One reason: The tax change most likely would apply to new loans only. Junk-rated bonds, issued by companies that typically carry a large amount of debt, have returned 4.6% this year -- better than the 4.3% returns of investment-grade bonds, according to Bloomberg Barclays data. Without repealing the interest deduction, Republicans' hopes of providing full and immediate deductions for capital investment are dim. They probably wouldn't have enough money to offset the upfront fiscal cost of accelerating all those deductions. The plus for the GOP is that this issue is more familiar and less black-and-white than the complex border adjustment plan. Limits on interest and accelerated write-offs could be dialed to a politically comfortable spot. If Republicans can't stomach full repeal of the interest deduction and immediate write-offs, they could try something short of that with, say, half of capital expenses being deductible and half of interest being deductible. Andrea , head of global private investment research at Cambridge Associates, which advises institutions that invest in private equity, said the industry would survive a tax overhaul that removes the interest deduction. "The effects will reverberate for sure," especially among larger firms that rely more on debt, she said. "But debt is still going to be cheaper than equity, so I don't think it's going away."

Houston-based Stewart & Stevenson (better known for producing specialized equipment for the oil and gas industries) won a US government contract to supply FMTVs (family of medium tactical vehicles) in 1998, an Americanized version (Cat 3116, Allison MD3070PT) of the Steyr model 12M18 from Austria. Armor Holdings bought Stewart & Stevenson's military vehicle division in 2006, and BAE bought Armor Holdings in 2007. And then Oshkosh won the contract away from BAE in 2011 to build FMTVs, despite never having been involved in its development. I like Oshkosh. I don't like the FMTV. The FMTV's Steyr cab was assembled in the US in order to qualify for the U.S. contract by McLaughlin Body Company in Moline, Illinois from imported components.

"In my opinion, the Mack-Signal merger was the most successful large corporate merger ever attempted." Zenon C.R. Hansen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mack Trucks was at a crossroads when they decided to bring Zenon C.R. Hansen on board to "fix the problem" and lead the company in an all new direction. He did. Zenon "wanted" Signal's financial support, and he later credited the Signal Companies' board for Mack Trucks' return to dominance. Their financial backing could, and did, supercharge Zenon's growth plans for Mack Trucks. And, Signal promised to allow Mack Trucks to operate with autonomy. They did. Mack earned more money for Signal than any other subsidiary, and Zenon famously kept them aware of that! In addition to Signal's financial backing being important to Mack's success, Zenon said "the really significant value has been this, that Mack has been associated with a high-grade organization which made good on all its agreements. We have kept our autonomy under Signal, and they have not meddled in the day-to-day operations of our business." Once, Zenon walked into a Signal board meeting to discuss bonus plans for the conglomerate companies. They didn't tell Zenon what bonuses were going to be handed out, rather he told them! Speaking to the board of the parent company, Zenon knew that it was his company, Mack Trucks, that was making all the money for Signal, and he told them so! "This is the bonus plan this year in my company [Mack Trucks]. I don't care what you're doing in your companies, but this is what I'm doing in mine." Particularly while Zenon C.R. Hansen ran Mack, the Signal Companies was extremely loyal to Mack Trucks. In 1964, prior to Zenon taking over Mack Trucks, the company reported US$275 million in sales. In 1966 with Zenon at the helm for two years, Mack sales reached US$411 million. And in 1970, sales leaped to US$534 million. We're talking about the man that issued every Mack employee a silver dollar-sized coin with a bulldog on one side, and a slogan on the other side stating "You Make the Difference". I carry my coin every day. Mack's outstanding earnings in 1966 was a double-edged sword........it made Mack Trucks a takeover target. Initially, to fight back, Zenon was designated chairman and CEO as well as president. But he finally realized that Mack needed the financial security and protection of a larger conglomerate, but the merger would be on Zenon's terms. Zenon said, "Our feeling was that if we had to get into bed with someone, it would be a Park Avenue glamour girl, not a Greenwich Village streetwalker." Zenon believed that a successful merger must address four priorities in this particular order: 1. The employees 2. The dealers; they have US$100 million tied up in Mack trucks and parts 3. The Mack customer 4. The stockholder In responding to critics who said that shareholders should be the first priority, Zenon said, "What good is the stockholder's dollar if the employees are not happy, if the dealers are in trouble, if they don't have a customer?" New York bankers introduced Mack Trucks to the Los Angeles-based Signal Oil & Gas Company, and it was the perfect match. Recalling their initial meeting, Zenon said, "You size up the people and pull it out fast. We had never met, and we had an agreement in two and a half hours." In the deal, Mack and Zenon retained complete autonomy, and Signal promised not to acquire any other truckmaker. Mack Trucks received Signal's financial backing to ramp up plant expansion, production and sales, and Zenon joined Signal's board of directors. As a result of the Mack-Signal merger, Mack Trucks in 1971 was once more the top selling diesel truck in the United States. One out of five heavy trucks wore a bulldog. By the end of 1973, nine years after Zenon C.R. Hansen had taken the helm at Mack Trucks: - Production had increased 138 percent - New truck deliveries increased 134 percent - Mack sales skyrocketed 200 percent, from US$275 million to US$880 million - Shareholder's equity rose 147 percent, with return on invested capital increasing from 2.7% to 13% - Earnings per share increased by an astonishing 764 percent All of this, because of Signal's support of Mack Trucks and Zenon C.R. Hansen, the best truckmaking CEO in the history of the industry right up to the present day. As Zenon proudly said, and history has gone on to confirm: "I don't think many companies can match that record. I have been asked many times how we did this. I will say it again, there's no substitute for experience. It all boils down to experience, damn hard work, and good application of effort by the Mack management team. Our talented, dedicated, ingenious Mack people have made a difference."