Dublin,VA,USA -Truck News (CAN) -Dec 9, 2010: -- Volvo Trucks has built a fully-equipped VHD in pick-up truck form, for the enjoyment of visitors to the company's New River Valley truck plant... The bright orange, unique Volvo VHD chassis has a full-size crew cab and a pick-up truck bed, Volvo announced. It's a four-door, five-seat rig powered by a 500-hp Volvo D12 engine and I-Shift automated transmission. Volvo points to the modified rig as an example of the company's innovation and craftsmanship... The new truck will also be used as a sales tool, shuttling visitors around the New River Valley truck plant site and creating a lasting impression, the company says... The truck will also appear at trade shows and other events... (Photo: This Volvo VHD has been customized to provide a pick-up truck ride and appearance)* USA - Marines call in Smith Newtons
Kansas City, MO,USA -Fleet Owner -Dec 13, 2010: -- Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. has announced that the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has purchased two all-electric Smith Newton trucks. The sale makes the USMC the first military organization to order Smith Newtons off the federal Government Services Administration (GSA) schedule. The trucks will be delivered to Camp Pendleton, CA, the Corps’ largest West Coast training facility, and home of the First Marine Expeditionary Force... Smith Electric Vehicles noted that a recent report by the Center for a New American Security recommended in the interest of both financial and security concerns that America’s armed forces set a goal of operating all of its systems on non-petroleum fuels by 2040. The truck maker noted that the USMC has already set out to reduce its energy use 30% by 2015 and increase its reliance on renewable electrical energy to 25% by 2025... Smith Electric produces the Newton, a Class 4-7 all-electric commercial truck. The Marines’ trucks will be built in the firm’s Kansas City, MO, plant, and are scheduled for delivery to Camp Pendleton in February...* Mexico - Mercedes-Benz shows off advanced refuse truck in
Cancun, Mexico -Fleet Owner (USA), by Wendy Leavitt -Dec 13, 2010: -- During the 16th UN Climate Conference, held in Cancun, Mexico last week, Mercedes-Benz showcased its Econic NGT 2628 6x2/4 NLA, a three-axle vehicle configured as a refuse truck. It features a trailing axle, six-speed automatic transmission, panoramic windshield, wide automatically opening doors and, most importantly for Mexico, the option of selecting a natural gas- or diesel powered-engine... Mexico City, like other customers around the world, has a choice of power plant for the Econic, either a 900 series straight six-cylinder diesel engine or a natural-gas engine – both options are EEV‑certified. EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle) is the strictest of the currently established exhaust emissions standards. The M 906 LAG natural gas engine generates 279 hp... (Photo from mercedesbenzblogphotodb: Econic NGT)
* USA - Truck demand on rise and will stay up for “next couple of years”
Columbus,IN,USA -Fleet Owner -Dec 13, 2010: -- According to ACT Research Co. (ACT), freight volumes continue “to display signs of stability and growth, which along with other factors, is providing a solid lift in demand for commercial vehicles over the next couple of years” ... More specifically, ACT said demand for both heavy-duty (Class 8) trucks and commercial trailers will “drive significant production gains for North American OEMs in the next two years” ... The latest release of the ACT North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook projects full-year 2010 production of Class 8 vehicles to end up at approximately 152,000 units. The research firm said that would be 29% gain over a “weak” 2009, but still well below normal replacement demand... However, ACT forecasts that “demand will continue to ramp up over the next two years, with production in 2012 exceeding 300,000 units. Production of commercial trailers was extremely weak in 2009, but ACT said its latest forecast expects that sector to post annual growth rates in excess of 50% in both 2010 and 2011...
* USA & Italy - Agco interested in Fiat's CNH unit: CEO in paper
Milan,Italy -Reuters, by Ian Simpson / Maria Pia Quaglia / Hans Peters and Dan Lalor -Dec 8, 2010: -- U.S. farm equipment maker Agco Corp is interested in Italian group Fiat's CNH Global unit, Agco's head said in an interview published on Wednesday, helping Fiat shares to a 30-month high... Chairman and chief executive Martin Richenhagen told business newspaper MF he had met Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne 10 days ago but without any result... "Marchionne knows where to find me and has my telephone number. And he knows we are interested in CNH," he said... Richenhagen said it was unclear whether Fiat wanted to sell CNH, the maker of Case and New Holland brands of farm and earthmoving equipment. Fiat owns 89 percent of CNH which has a market valuation of $10.7 billion... A Fiat spokesman would not comment...* Area truck maker gets $100,000 grant - Structure Manufacturing Group Inc.: Primer painting of over-the-highway truck cabs, delivery truck cabs
Norwalk,OH,USA -The Morning Journal -December 13, 2010: -- A truck maker will use a state grant to buy new machinery in a project expected to create 150 jobs in Huron County... Structure Manufacturing Group Inc. will get a $100,000 Rapid Outreach Grant to buy new equipment for its operations in Noralk, according to an announcement by the Ohio Department of Development... The company will buy a facility for the assembly and primer painting of over-the-highway truck cabs, delivery truck cabs and operator enclosures for agricultural and earth moving equipment. The $2.2 million project is expected to create 150 jobs... (Photo from eng.yarovit: Cab panels gluing-over. Painting and drying section)
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Kansas City, MO,USA -Fleet Owner -Dec 13, 2010: -- Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. has announced that the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has purchased two all-electric Smith Newton trucks. The sale makes the USMC the first military organization to order Smith Newtons off the federal Government Services Administration (GSA) schedule. The trucks will be delivered to Camp Pendleton, CA, the Corps’ largest West Coast training facility, and home of the First Marine Expeditionary Force... Smith Electric Vehicles noted that a recent report by the Center for a New American Security recommended in the interest of both financial and security concerns that America’s armed forces set a goal of operating all of its systems on non-petroleum fuels by 2040. The truck maker noted that the USMC has already set out to reduce its energy use 30% by 2015 and increase its reliance on renewable electrical energy to 25% by 2025... Smith Electric produces the Newton, a Class 4-7 all-electric commercial truck. The Marines’ trucks will be built in the firm’s Kansas City, MO, plant, and are scheduled for delivery to Camp Pendleton in February...
Norwalk,OH,USA -The Morning Journal -December 13, 2010: -- A truck maker will use a state grant to buy new machinery in a project expected to create 150 jobs in Huron County... Structure Manufacturing Group Inc. will get a $100,000 Rapid Outreach Grant to buy new equipment for its operations in Noralk, according to an announcement by the Ohio Department of Development... The company will buy a facility for the assembly and primer painting of over-the-highway truck cabs, delivery truck cabs and operator enclosures for agricultural and earth moving equipment. The $2.2 million project is expected to create 150 jobs... (Photo from eng.yarovit: Cab panels gluing-over. Painting and drying section)
