News | Truck
BRIEFS Iveco going Chinese CNH Industrial revived talks to sell the bulk of Italian truck group IVECO to Chinese automaker FAW Group, according to Reuters. Discussions were put on hold last year after the Chinese company made a preliminary offer valuing IVECO at a little more than 3 billion euros. CNH rebuffed the offer. The latest talks come as Changchun-based FAW, which makes heavy duty trucks under its Jiefang brand, looks to expand outside China. FAW made an improved offer and wants to acquire all of Iveco’s commercial vehicles business, including trucks and buses, as well as a minority stake in its FPT engine division. CNH is controlled by Exor, the holding company of Italy’s Agnelli family, and has held talks with Chinese Shandong Heavy Industry Group. Separately, IVECO is in talks to jointly develop autonomous truck technologies with Chinese startup Plus. A sale of IVECO would be an alternative to a plan set to split into two and list its lower-margin truck and bus business, along with FPT, in an effort to boost the group’s asset values and streamline its businesses. M-B and Daimler to divorce Daimler plans a fundamental change in its structure, which it says is designed to unlock the full potential of its businesses in a zero-emissions, software-driven future making the Daimler Truck business a fully independent, stand-alone corporate governance. Daimler Trucks is one of the world’s largest truck and bus producers, with industry leading positions in Europe, North America and Asia, and with more than 35 main locations around the globe. With more than 100,000 employees, it unites seven brands under one roof: BharatBenz, Freightliner, Fuso, Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses and Western Star. In 2019, a total of around half a million trucks and buses were delivered to customers. Experienced new head at Fuso Commercial vehicle manufacturer, Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, has appointed Alexander Müller as the new Fuso Truck and Bus Australia Director. Mr Müller, was previously the Head of Global Key Account Management and Vocational Business for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Stuttgart. He has also served as the Head of Sales and Marketing of Fuso Europe from 2006 to 2013, during which time he oversaw a restructure of the sales network and set an annual sales record of 10,000 units. Mr Müller began his career with Daimler in 1999 in Stuttgart, in the role of Marketing Manager Vans. In 2002, he took over the role as Head of Sales and Marketing Vans in Italy. In 2006, he returned to Stuttgart as Head of Sales and Marketing Fuso Europe until 2013, when he was given responsibility for Sales of Daimler Latina in South America for the Fuso, BharatBenz, Freightliner, Western Star, Mercedes-Benz Truck and Vans brands. After his return from Sao Paulo in 2015, Mr Müller was responsible for the management of the worldwide Mercedes-Benz Truck Fleet and Bodybuilder business. 12 | March 2021
Mack’s new Australian national Anthem Mack Trucks Australia has revealed a revamped model line-up offering a new stand-up sleeper cab, redesigned interior, new transmission options and an all-new model line-up. The new, locally engineered and Australian built Mack Anthem is powered by the proven 13 litre Euro 5 MP8 engine with horsepower ratings ranging from 435 to 535hp and 16551920lb-ft of torque, the Anthem is set to tackle all manner of transport applications, from vocational rigid roles to B-double highway hauler. The bold new look manages to capture aerodynamic efficiency whilst retaining a hard-edged profile. Aerodynamic gains have been aided by closing gaps between panels and minimising seams. Even the tow hooks
in the 3-piece bumper have been covered to assist with air flow. The Mack Anthem will be available as a sleeper or day cab and will be available in 6x4 and 8x4 rigid guise or as a 6x4 prime mover. An integrated Bendix Wingman Fusion active safety system is standard equipment providing adaptive cruise control, blind spot alerts, autonomous braking and roll stability. A 5-inch colour digital Co-Pilot display makes navigating various digital menus and functions a breeze while on the move. The integration of the Bendix safety system now means that much of the system’s functionality can be accessed via the CoPilot display.
Paccar plans to go driverless and finds a partner Aurora has entered into a global strategic partnership with PACCAR in preparation for the delivery of the first driverless application in trucking. This partnership combines PACCAR’s considerable expertise in heavy-duty truck development, manufacturing and sales with Aurora’s understanding of autonomous vehicle technology to bring a safe, efficient self-driving product to market quickly and deploy it broadly. This partnership builds on that foundation in two ways, both are a first for PACCAR and Aurora in the trucking space. It brings the engineering teams together around an
accelerated development program to create truly driverless-capable trucks, starting with the Peterbilt 579 and the Kenworth T680. It also brings together the broader PACCAR and Aurora organizations in the creation of an expansive commercialization plan for the deployment of these trucks at scale over the next several years.
Daimler signs MOU with Cummins
Daimler Trucks has signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a global strategic partnership for medium duty engine systems. The announcement also stated that other opportunities for collaboration are also being evaluated. Cummins will invest in the development of
medium-duty engine systems for Daimler Trucks and Buses and the global production and delivery of medium duty engines by Cummins for Daimler Trucks and Buses will begin after 2025.
