Transport & Trucking Issue 128

www.truckandbus.net.au Issue 128 2020

$9.50 incl. GST

WE DRIVE THE NEW TRUCK IN THE USA

CASCADIA - FREIGHTLINER’S

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28

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CONTENTS CONTACT DETAILS

FEATURES

PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

14 ON THE OREGON TRAIL

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au Editor in Chief Jon Thomson

Freightliner is about to launch a new flagship onto the Australian market with the arrival of the Cascadia.

While it is the best selling heavy duty truck in North America, Freightliner has had a chequered past down under, and no one underestimates the task ahead for Daimler Trucks Australia in its quest to make the Cascadia number one selling heavy in this country. Freightliner took the Australian truck trade press to Freightliner HQ in Portland, Oregon to reveal its plans.

24 HIRE INTELLIGENCE

Up in the red dirt country of the Pilbara, beneath the cobalt blue skies and the searing heat of the sun, it is tough territory for any machine and most particularly trucks. T&TA headed to WA’s rugged North West to take a look at Karratha Machinery Hire and its operations in the Pilbara.

30 MIRROR, MIRROR IS NO MORE

Technology is driving change in every sector of our lives. Everything is being subjected to advances in electronics, processing power and materials. The vehicles we drive are almost changing before our very eyes, with advances in so many areas, even the way we look back is changing, with some forward thinking that could eliminate mirrors as we know them. We drive Benz’s new Actros with its exciting new MirrorCam.

38 MIGHT OF THE CHARGE BRIGADE

A day at the wheel of Fuso’s new eCanter electric truck has given us an incredible insight into how city delivery work might like in the next five to ten years, with a lot less noise, a lot less pollution and some rapid acceleration. We plugged in to the controls of the eCanter and came away with an amazing insight into how electric trucks will work in Australian cities.

Art Director Fiona Meadows fiona@kududesign.com.au

44 READY, SET GO

Advertising Sales Jon Thomson Mobile 0418 641 959 admin@truckandbus.net.au

50 THAT’S NOT AL VOLKS!

Editorial Contributors Barry Flanagan, Mark Bean, Glenn Torrens, Peter Barnwell

Isuzu has led the market with ready for work truck options, offering customers turn key solutions for new trucks without the need to wait for a body to be fitted and prepared for the road. Now Isuzu has expanded its offering and T&TA went along to find out all about it.

Volkswagen has decided to chase a larger share of the light commercial ready to work market after unveiling a program that will see a number of factory approved bodies and conversions which it says will be generally available as a complete package, ready to go from its dealer network T&TA went Along to VW HQ to be briefed on the German makers line up of custom commercials

56 PUSHING ABOVE ITS WEIGHT

One of the true surprises in the Australian vehicle market in recent times has been Mitsubishi, a brand that has been punching well above its weight, selling more vehicles than anyone could imagine, from a line up of products, that in all fairness has no stand outs and is generally older and less glitzy than its opponents, but which is dependable, good value and clearly appeals to the market. One such example is the Mitsubishi Triton and we took one for a test recently to figure out why they are so popular.

60 COMPANY CAR: HYUNDAI IONIQ AND KONA Transport & Trucking Australia is published under licence by Transport Publishing Australia. and is distributed to road transport professionals, fleets, business professionals and the industry throughout Australia.

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Hyundai is keen to be one of the leaders in the EV market and now has two cars in its battery EV range with the Ioniq and the recently added Kona electric. When we had the chance to try the Kona EV recently, we jumped at the chance, particularly given the fact that we had recently tested Fuso’s eCanter light electric truck. The world is definitely plugging into a new way of moving.

24

44

DEPARTMENTS 04 BACK TRACKS

Musings from the Editor

06 HIGHWAY 1

News and info from all over

64 MONEY

Paul’s latest advice on finances

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EVERTHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE

T

he annual battle for truck sales has just concluded for another year with some intense fights going all the way to the line on 31 December.

There weren’t many surprises in the wash up, with Isuzu recording its 31st year of market leadership while Kenworth again held the coveted number one spot in the Heavy Duty market, the glamour end of the industry if you like.

However the battle is heating up and the next few years are going to be really fascinating to watch as the big groups consolidate, new product comes into play and new technology takes a significant and changing role.

Speak with Daimler execs and they are confident the new Freightliner Cascadia will turn the heavy-duty market on its head, as that truck has done in its home markets of North America. That confidence oozes from every corner of Daimler, but it won’t be easy, particularly given the renewed and vigorous push from the likes of Volvo, which came so close to toppling Kenworth in 2019. As well as that there is Volvo’s US subsidiary brand Mack with, the new Anthem coming soon, and of course Scania, which although not an outright contender sold a record number of trucks in 2019, up about 28 per cent in a market that was down 10 per cent and is growing, with every extra truck it sells taking a sale off the other brands in a falling market.

The Heavy Market is so important because that is where the money is, it might only make up just under 30 per cent of the overall market, but the Heavies are where the real focus in the market is because every truck sold has a bigger return for the maker and the dealer.

Of course the face of the industry is changing and there is more on the way if you stare closely at the tealeaves.

That was really driven home a few days before Christmas when Volvo dropped a bombshell, announcing it would be selling its Japanese subsidiary, UD, to Isuzu for around $US 2.3 billion.

This was all about consolidation and creating a war chest for the Swedish maker.

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It made a good profit on its ownership of UD, on paper at least, it pocketed about $US1.4 billion for its 11 years of ownership.

More importantly Volvo is preparing itself for the massive investments it will need to make in the not to distant future to enable it to stay competitive and relevant in the changing truck industry, particularly with zero emission propulsion and automation.

We hear that the edict has come from the very top in Martin Lundstedt’s office, that budgets are to be trimmed, inventory is to be reduced and sold and more cash is to be accumulated to give Volvo resources to be on a equal footing with the likes of the Daimler behemoth, as well as the VW owned Traton and the perpetually profitable and cash rich PACCAR group.

No one really has a proper handle on where it will all head apart from knowing a general direction, but one thing is for certain if you aren’t prepared to spend on R&D you will be left behind. Things will change quickly and when we look back in a decade we may shake our head, rub our eyes and ask ‘what the hell happened there’?

Isuzu’s purchase of UD is an interesting development and it genuinely surprised the industry. No one saw it coming and in fact Volvo Group hosted some Aussie truck journos to a press event in Melbourne just a week before the sale announcement, where Volvo’s UD president Joachim Rosenberg was flown in and wheeled out, with not even a scintilla of evidence to indicate the brand was about to be sold.

For Isuzu the purchase delivers much needed technology, particularly around engines and powertrain at the upper end, which as a brand has apparently been struggling with, given the massive cost for a stand alone Japanese truck maker. As part of the MOU with Volvo there will be technology collaboration, so while $2.3 billion is a lot, the access to tech makes it a pretty attractive investment.

Interestingly Isuzu’s long-standing market leadership in Australia is not reflected in Japan where rival Hino is the long-standing market leader. While we mentioned earlier

that most attention is focussed on the heavy end of the market the reality is in Australia there hasn’t been much real opposition to Isuzu in the past 31 years, with Hino sitting in number two for much of that time.

While Isuzu is still a long way in front of Hino the reality is that the launch of Hino’s Standard cab 500 series, which is packed with safety technology, has helped the number two brand to close the gap on its number one rival. In 2018 Isuzu sold just over 10000 trucks in Australia and Hino 5624 units, a gap of 4403. Last year the gap between the two was 3097 with Hino dropping just 124 trucks on its 18 tally and Isuzu down 1400 trucks. The main reason was the new Hino 500, which has clearly found favour with big fleets as a result of its safety and tech package, underlining how important new tech will be.

Hino of course has the benefit of being part of the giant Toyota family and has also linked up with the other rising star of the truck business, VW’s Traton which houses MAN, Scania and possibly also Navistar International in the USA. We are on the edge of some huge changes the truck business and with the sale of UD just about anything could and probably will happen. It’s going to be an exciting time.

Meantime in this issue we have a plethora of great reading, headlining with our take on the new Freightliner Cascadia, following our trip to the US to drive it at the proving ground in Oregon. Along with that we also drive some exciting new tech from Daimler in the form of the eCanter electric truck and the next gen Benz Actros complete with its Mirror Cam system, it is a fascinating look into the future.

We also take a look at Isuzu’s latest Ready to Work options, Volkswagen’s push into light trucks and a range of other factory backed conversions on its Crafter and Amarok, and we visit a Hino fleet in the far north west of WA, all that and a whole lot more in this issue, so enjoy, stay safe and catch you next time.

JON THOMSON

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ALL THE LATEST NEWS AN

D VIEWS FROM ACROSS TH

E GLOBE

VOLVO SELLS UD/TIC TRUC K SHOW PROBLEMS/SOFT TRUCK MARKET/MAY GOES TO

IVECO/SCANIA WANTS AC TION ON OLD TRUCKS

VOLVO TO SELL UD TO ISUZU IN A MOVE that has taken the truck market by surprise, Volvo has announced that it has agreed to sell its Japanese subsidiary UD Trucks to rival Japanese truck maker Isuzu for about $US 2.3 billion, while also announcing plans to forge a strategic alliance with Isuzu.

The move has shocked the industry given Volvo has continued to talk up its investment in UD and initiated a major consolidation of the product range and manufacturing arrangements both in Japan and in South East Asia in recent times.

The deal, announced by the companies in late December, is apparently part of a broader alliance that will see Volvo

006 www.truckandbus.net.au

and Isuzu share advanced technology for electric and self-driving trucks and use their combined weight to cut development costs.

The sale will consolidate what is seen as a stagnant truck industry in Japan, which is dominated by Toyota’s Hino Motors brand.

“We will lean on each other’s strengths, pool from each other when it comes to technology, and leverage our larger volumes,” Volvo Group President and CEO Martin Lundstedt told reporters in Tokyo.

The sale of UD is another sign that the global automotive industry, and in particular the truck industry, is undergoing significant realignment

with a number of strategic alliances and technical co-operations being forged in recent times.

Volvo completed the acquisition of UD, or Nissan Diesel as it was then known, on 1st April 2007, having paid about $US785 million for the remaining 77 per cent of the share register it acquired to give a 96 per cent holding in the company.

Volvo at the time spruiked the purchase as a vital strategic move into Asia, with then CEO Leif Johansson promoting the concept that Asia and China were important markets for Volvo to have a footprint in.

Its not known how much Volvo has

invested in UD in the 12 years it has owned the company, but the roughly $US1.415 billion paper profit on the sale of the asset has been seen as a major boost for Volvo Group with its shares rising 5 per cent on the back of the announcement while Isuzu shares gained 3 per cent on the Tokyo market.

“Amid this once-in-a-century industry shift, there are many partnerships, but an alliance between commercial vehicle makers is the most efficient,” Isuzu Motors president, Masanori Katayama said.

Volvo and Isuzu said they expect to complete the deal by the end of next year.

The purchase of UD will give Isuzu

Volvo says that the strategic alliance

access to vital engine and drive

will entail a technology partnership and

technology which it appears to have

that there is great ‘complementarity’

been struggling to gain, while the

(if there is such a word) between the two

sale will boost Volvo’s bottom line

Groups from both a geographical and

and give it more cash to advance its

product line perspective, with further

autonomous and zero emission R&D.

opportunities to be explored over time.

Its latest sign of consolidation in the

The statement also pointed out

global automotive industry.

interestingly, that the Memorandum

As electric, hydrogen fuel cells,

of Understanding is non-binding

autonomous and new mobility

The statement goes on to explain

technology is disrupting the industry,

that the next steps will be finalising

automotive companies large and

the scope of the business to be

small have been forging alliances to

transferred, due diligence by Isuzu

enable them to economically develop

Motors and negotiations of binding

the new tech to cope with the

agreements. Signing of binding

changes on the horizon.

agreements is expected by mid-2020

Toyota’s truck company Hino

and closing of the transaction is

has signed MOUs with VW truck

expected by the end of 2020. All

operation Traton, while Toyota itself

potential transactions will be subject

has forged cooperation agreements

to regulatory and other approvals.

with, Mazda and Subaru, through

Meanwhile Isuzu Australia boss,

both partnerships and equity stakes.

Andrew Harbison, welcomed the

Agreements like these are becoming

announcement of the deal and says

ever more critical in the global auto

the potential for the tie-up for the

industry as manufacturers seek to

global commercial vehicle landscape

pool resources and save costs.

is significant.

Ford has also teamed with VW while

“We understand that this alliance

Honda has signed an agreement with

involves a global technology

GM to work together on new drive

partnership, the transfer of ownership

technologies.

of the UD Truck business and the

UD’s sale will immediately boost

exploration of other collaboration

Volvo Group’s operating income by

opportunities,” said Harbison.

about $US212 million and increase

“Both global groups offer a broad

the Swedish company’s cash position

range of high-quality, efficient and

by $US2.3 billion.

fit-for-purpose commercial vehicles

Volvo Group Australia has also

and we have seen a steady stream

revealed that it intends to continue to

of future-focussed technology and

distribute UD Trucks in Australia even

product developments from each,”

after the impending sale of the brand

he added.

to UD is completed late in 2020.

“The potential of this tie-up for the

Volvo Australia issued a statement

global commercial vehicle landscape

immediately following the

is significant,” he said.

International announcement, saying

“In Australia, our customers benefit

that as part of the strategic alliance,

from the deep understanding of

that will see ownership of UD Trucks

the road transport industry and

globally transferred to Isuzu Motors,

comprehensive product strategy of our

the Volvo Group and Isuzu Motors

parent company, Isuzu Motors Limited.

have also awarded each other

“We then tailor this for the local

private importer rights in selected

conditions and our long-term

markets, including Australia.

leadership of Australian truck market

“As part of the intent, nothing

is an endorsement of this customer-

will change in the set-up for the

focussed approach.

Australian market, or for our

“We look forward to providing

customers in the Australian market,”

more of what the transport and

the statement says.

logistics industries need both

“Hence, we at Volvo Group Australia

now and into the future, and

will continue to distribute the UD

announcements such as this

brand and support our UD Trucks

confirm that Isuzu Motors has

Australia customers and dealer

its sights fixed well into the future

business partners,” it added.

also,” Mr Harbison concluded.

MELBOURNE TRUCK SHOW PLANS HIT SOME HEADWINDS Transport & Trucking can report growing disquiet among truck makers regarding the Truck Industry Council plan to stage its own industry truck show in Melbourne in March 2021.

TIC members apparently voted unanimously at last weeks final Council meeting for the year to back a plan for TIC to stage a truck show in 2021, however this masks the fact that two of the leading truck groups did not take part in the vote and have told TIC they will not be at the planned Melbourne show.

The two truck groups Volvo and Daimler, which between them control six major brands are unlikely to take part in the Melbourne show which is planned for March 2021 during the same week as the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.

As previously reported there is disquiet among the truck makers over the cost of floor space at the planned Melbourne event as well as the challenges that will come with the availability and cost of accommodation in Melbourne during Grand Prix week.

Transport & Trucking can report that the quoted cost for floor space in Melbourne is around 25 per cent higher per square metre by comparison with the $83 per square metre charged this year by the HVIA for its long standing Brisbane Truck Show.

We also believe that at least one truck maker has told TIC it will not take part in the Melbourne Show because its financial year ends on 31 March and it has already had its 20-21 budget signed off with no allowance for a truck show. Given the normal cycle the manufacturer would have planned for expenditure on the Brisbane Show in the second month of its 21-22-budget year.

Another manufacturer source told Transport & Trucking, that at the moment they believe the whole Melbourne Show concept is teetering because if Daimler and Volvo aren’t there and a couple more makers decide not to go “it will only be half a truck show”.

TIC CEO Tony McMullan told Transport & Trucking in June that further announcements about the structure and plans for the Melbourne truck show were to be made in July but as yet nothing has been put out by the peak industry body save for the initial statement announcing it would be staging a Melbourne based show in 2021.

As we move into 2020 there is just under 15 months to the planned show in the Victorian capital, so some critical deadlines will be approaching.

We will report any updates as they come to hand.

www.truckandbus.net.au 007

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TRUCK MARKET SOFTENS AGAIN MAY DROPS BOMBSHELL IN NOVEMBER IN MOVE FROM THE TRUCK MARKET HAS softened a little more as it headed into 2020, although in any other year but the one following a record, it would be seen as a success.

Up to the end of November there were 34,712 trucks sold, with 3080 being delivered in the month of November across all sectors.

That being the case the annual tally was likely to be close to the previous record year of 2007 with a figure in the high 37,000s likely.

The Truck Industry Council’s statements, as usual talk the market down a little, when many industry pundits are saying the peak body should be talking up the need for renewal of the national truck fleet.

The big battleground at the moment is heavy duty with a dingdong battle between perennial market leader Kenworth being closely stalked by Volvo.

After a couple of months of close margins Kenworth has edged ahead to consolidate its top spot. Kenworth sold 211 trucks in November while rival Volvo registered 196 and heading to the annual finish line it carries a 60 truck lead on its Swedish rival.

It would take a miracle or a poultice of creative registrations for Volvo to finish in front for 2019. Kenworth sits on a tally of 2,133 to Volvo’s 2,063.

While some volumes are down Volvo’s registrations are up on

008 www.truckandbus.net.au

2018 numbers, with the big Swede already 66 trucks ahead of its score for last year.

Scania has had a tremendous year off the back of its supply issues in 2018. Scania has already moved 1044 trucks to the end of November, the first time it has exceeded 1000 sales in Australia.

Medium duty sales have stalled in recent months after showing positive signs early in the year.

November sales in the sector totalled 584, that’s 126 trucks behind November 2018.

After an October scare Isuzu has clearly fought back against rival Hino. Isuzu finished October just one truck ahead of Hino but in November it sold 250 trucks to Hino’s 173 units, giving Isuzu a clear lead year to date, yet again.

Hino however is actually ahead of its volume tally for 2018 and will better its numbers for last year, despite the falling market.

Light-duty was again well off its 2018 numbers, with 946 trucks sold in November, 207 units behind the November 2018 figures.

Isuzu was comfortably market leader in light duty with 340 regos, 104 units ahead of Hino, more than 100 ahead of Hino.

The 2020 sales year is shaping as an interesting battle ground particularly with Freightliner’s new contender the Cascadia arriving early this year.

BENZ TO IVECO IN A SURPRISE for the truck industry, its been announced that Michael May has resigned as the director of Mercedes Benz Truck and Bus in Australia, to take up a new role as managing director of Iveco Trucks Australia.

May will replace the outgoing MD of Iveco Australia, Bruce Healey, who leaves the role he has held for the past 18 months.

May moves to Iveco after a 20-year career with Daimler where he had a number of roles including in engineering, after sales and in retail as dealer principal of two Daimler retail outlets.

He joins Iveco at a time when the company faces a number of major challenges including a potential close down of its Dandenong manufacturing operation, the loss of its high volume locally built Acco and increasing pressure from under performing models including Eurocargo, Stralis and the International brand, which Iveco represents in Australia as local distributor.

Michael May will be the fourth new MD of Iveco since 2016.

May’s departure leaves Daimler without leaders for two of its brands, with both Fuso and now Mercedes trucks looking for new directors, following Justin Whitford’s departure from Fuso earlier in 2019.

The statement from Iveco spruiks the fact that May joins the company,

‘at an exciting time with the recent introduction of the Heavy Duty Stralis X-Way range, and the on-going success of the Daily light duty models’. It goes on to say that ‘further key product actions are planned for 2020’.

Outgoing MD, Bruce Healey, will now move to the role of brand leader at another division of CNH Industrial, New Holland Agriculture. Healey’s move is a return to the agricultural equipment industry, a sector where he worked as brand leader for another CNHI division, Case IH prior to his time with Iveco.

His new role will see him reconnecting heavily with the farming community and New Holland’s extensive range of agricultural products, from tractors and combine harvesters to balers and haytools.

“The last two years, working closely with Iveco staff and the dealer network, have been tremendously satisfying,” Mr Healy said.

“I believe we’ve laid the foundation for an exciting future and whilst I’m disappointed that I won’t be around to further contribute to our performance, I’m excited by the challenge and responsibility of leading New Holland into the future,” he said.

The appointments of both Healy and May take effect, on a transitional basis, from early 2020.

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ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

VOLVO SELLS UD/TIC TRU CK SHOW PROBLEMS/SOF T TRUCK

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GLOBE

WANTS ACTION ON OLD TRU CKS

SCANIA BOSS CALLS AGAIN FOR

ACTION ON OLD TRUCKS SCANIA AUSTRALIA’S managing director, Mikael Jansson, has used an end of year lunch with truck trade press to reinforce his call for action to rid Australian roads of older trucks, to ensure a safer and cleaner environment.

“More and more companies are choosing Euro 6 product over Euro 5, but there are so many trucks out there that aren’t even Euro 0, old trucks that belch black smoke and other dangerous pollutants and don’t have the safety features of new trucks,” said Mikael Jansson.

At the Brisbane Truck Show last May, just before the 2019 federal election, Jansson made the same call, saying it was time for operators to decline use of these vehicles in densely populated areas.

“Old, dirty trucks should not be retired into the city, they should be pensioned off, for good,” he said.

010 www.truckandbus.net.au

“We can no longer turn a blind eye to their continual emission of dirty fumes and excessive Co2 where our children walk and play.”

He also pointed to alternatives such as hybrid, electric and particularly bio diesel.

‘Bio diesel could be a great generator of local jobs in regional areas where it could be produced in local plants and it could really take off, providing even more CO2 reduction than electric trucks,” he added.

The embrace of the latest emission and safety standards has clearly driving Scania sales in 2019, with the Swedish company already having logged a record year.

Its performance is mirrored by other brands, which have pushed the Euro 6 standard along with safety improvements, clearly appealing to companies eager to comply with chain of responsibility obligations.

The Swedish maker has broken the 1000 trucks barrier for the first time ever, with still a month to go in 2019.

Up to the end of November Scania sold 1050 trucks with the company expecting to reach, or possibly top 1100 trucks for the year, which will give it a nine per cent market share in heavy duty.

“We’ve never been at nine per cent market share before so it has been a fantastic year,” said Jansson.

Jansson told Transport & Trucking that the acceptance of the company’s NTG range had helped it achieve the milestone and great performance in what is a falling market.

“We had targeted 10 per cent share but to achieve nine per cent in a falling market is still very pleasing,” he added.

The lift in sales comes after a disappointing year in 2018 when supply issues handicapped

its performance.

On top of the truck success, Jansson underlined the performance in other sectors, including 400 bus sales, which gave Scania 30 per cent share in the Australian route bus market. It also recently won the significant SA government bus order that equates to 340 bus sales over the next ten years.

“Our hybrid bus has had huge interested since launching at the Melbourne bus show and I believe this can act as a bridge to full electric bus operations in coming years,” said Jansson.

Jansson said the company had invested heavily in service and support for its products and that is also helping reap benefits. The company has employed 30 new apprentices this year and plans to employ a further 30 in 2020 to bolster its technical workforce and skills capability.

SCANIA LUNCHES SEVEN LITRE MEDIUM DUTY THE TWO SWEDISH TRUCK makers, Volvo and Scania have never really had a lot of success in the medium duty truck market in Australia.

This hasn’t been because the product is not good, but largely because Japanese makers have specialised in this sector and have produced cheaper trucks that have more appeal to the market.

The Vikings have always been more attractive as heavyweights but every now and then they mount another attack on the medium duty market as Scania has just done, albeit on a relatively small and targeted scale.

Scania used its annual media lunch in December to reveal a new 7-litre Euro 6 medium duty rigid, which it hopes will win its some niche sales in an environment where more companies are seeking out cleaner greener and safer trucks for corporate responsibility and citizenship reasons.

Under the cab is the smallest engine Scania has offered in Australia for many years and in fact it uses a Cummins designed block but with Scania ‘brains’. Scania says it uses its own turbo, manifolds, ECU and various other components.

The truck is aimed at urban, intraurban and regional distribution and potentially in other areas including with councils and government departments seeking out its green and safe credentials.

Called the Scania DC07 the safety inclusions list steering wheel and side curtain rollover airbag protection and ABS/EBS7 disc brakes with Advanced Emergency Braking, among other things.

It also features front and rear air bag suspension as well as a quiet and clean engine and what it describes as “segment-leading” ergonomics and instrumentation, including

in-dash weight scales readouts across all axle sets.

“We are widening the appeal of Scania’s product range to customers who have traditionally purchased lighter-duty trucks,” said Scania Australia’s director of truck sales, Dean Dal Santo.

“With our new engine family a key advantage is the fact that the 7-litre engine is 360 kg lighter than our 5-cylinder 9.0-litre as well as being significantly more economical,” said Del Santo.

“This combination will meet the growing requirement for sustainable transport by urban and regional operators in Australia, but the new format doesn’t mean we have made any concessions when it comes to typical Scania characteristics such as performance, robustness and

uptime,” he added.

“These trucks offer all of Scania’s heavy-duty engineering, driveline efficiencies and safety benefits, optimised for lighter-duty roles, which are sure to draw new customers to the Scania family.”

“Scania’s 7.0-litre range also comes with our 5-year/500,000 km maintenance offer included with the purchase, a valuable and appealing operating costs bonus for operators large and small,” he added.

The six cylinder engine actually has a capacity of 6.7litres with max power of 280hp and max torque of 1,200 Nm and uses SCR and DPF for emission reduction.

It has a GCM of 26 tonnes and will be offered in 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4, with an 8x4 in development.

SCANIA VENTURES INTO JAPANESE TERRITORY WITH NEW 7 LITRE RIGID www.truckandbus.net.au 011

ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

VOLVO SELLS UD/TIC TRU CK SHOW PROBLEMS/SOF T TRUCK

VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE

MARKET/MAY GOES TO IVE CO/SCANIA

GLOBE

WANTS ACTION ON OLD TRU CKS

LINFOX TAKES A BIG SWIG OF UD FOR BEVCHAIN FLEET UD’S STRATEGY to head more heavy than medium duty has started to pay dividends for Volvo Group with the announcement in Melbourne in December of a large order for the 8-litre Quon rigid from the Linfox Group.

Linfox, through its Bevchain operation, has placed an order for 95 of the UD Quons, and the importance of the order could be seen at the handover of keys, held at the Linfox training and maintenance operational centre in the outer western Melbourne suburb of Laverton.

Linfox executive chair, Peter Fox was handed the keys by the global president of UD Trucks, Joachim Rosenberg while Volvo Group Australia chief Martin Merrick was also there underlining how critical the order from Linfox is. The announcement of the order came a few weeks before Volvo’s announcement that it will be selling its UD business unit.

The UD’s will be used by the growing Bevchain operation, which Linfox now owns, having bought out former joint venture partner Lion two years ago. That move has allowed Linfox to become a specialist liquor logistics supplier for not only Lion but its

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rivals at CUB and both Coles and Woolworths liquor outlets.

UD has apparently also signed another large-scale deal for new UD Quons with one of the largest fleets in Australia and it hopes to announce the deal sometime in the next few weeks.

The bright orange 8-litre UD Quon CD 25 360 6x2 rigids will become an easily noticed sight on Australian roads with approximately 30 of the new trucks set to be delivered before Christmas this year, with the remaining 65 to hit the roads before June next year.

The Euro 6 Quons will be equipped with the full suite of electronic safety aids, which Peter Fox identified as a major reason for purchasing the new UDs. Fox told Transport & Trucking that no new truck would be added to the Linfox fleet if it didn’t meet Euro 6 standard and have the latest safety features.

“We chose the Quon for several reasons including its advanced safety features of Traffic Eye Brake, Stability Control and Lane Departure Warning Systems,” said Peter Fox. “We’re is extremely proud of our working relationship with the Volvo Group which dates back 30 years,

Volvo is also committed to safety, sustainability and efficiency. We have a very strong, sound and deep working relationship with the group from Volvo,” he said.

Fox emphasised the company’s commitment to ensuring it runs the safest and most environmentally friendly trucks available, which he explained is part of the corporate ethos and is underlined by its push for zero injuries in the operation.

Fox explained that the push for zero was triggered by the death of a Linfox worker who was crushed by a forklift.

“It made us really put a lit of effort into ensuring that none of our workers should be injured while working and we have put a lot of effort into creating a safer environment and mindset within Linfox,” said Peter Fox. “We also realised after the Copenhagen climate change accord ten years ago that we had to do something about sustainability and a more environmentally friendly way of doing things, and If we rely on the politicians to do this we will get nowhere,” he added.

As part of the safety program it has also installed its own FoxTrax safety technology with driver pre-trip

inspections reducing downtime and ensuring its thousands of drivers on the system are not working with an unsafe or faulty vehicle and that they are licenced and legal on the road.

Joachim Rosenberg said aligned values was the most important thing in the relationship between UD and Linfox.

“It’s important, as one looks at our industry, to realise that logistics is the lifeblood of our society, everything in this room, everything that you have at home, everything that you see here has been on a truck at least once and many more times than once,” he said.

“With the need for more and more transport in our lives it means transport has to become even more sustainable.

“The relationship between Volvo Group and Linfox is indeed a special one. It’s a business partnership and at the same time for me it’s a personal relationship that’s built on trust which I’m particularly proud to be part of.”

It is believed that the deal for close to 100 UD Quons for Linfox is one of the largest fleet sales for the Volvo owned Japanese maker which is now the fifth largest export market for UD in the world.

RENAULT SHIFTS TO AUTOMATIC TRAFIC RENAULT HAS FINALLY launched an automatic version of its Trafic van range, mated to a new two-litre diesel engine with prices starting from $43,490 plus on-roads.

The price for the self shifter is about $4000 more than the manual models while the six-speed manual will still be available with the smaller 1.6-litre Euro 5 diesel, with either the option of either the single 85kW/300Nm or twin-turbo diesel 103kW/340Nm engines.

The new dual-clutch automatic is an EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) type six-speed and comes matched to the Euro 6-compliant single-turbo 125kW diesel with 380Nm of torque at 1500rpm.

The auto offers greater convenience but it is not quite as fuel efficient as the manuals, delivering a claimed 7.3 litres per 100km, compared with 6.2L/100km for the twin-turbo 1.6 manual.

The auto Trafic will be available on the mid-range Premium grade in either short or long-wheelbase guise or the top level Crew Lifestyle.

The Premium short wheelbase is priced from $43,490 while the long wheel base is staggered from $45,490 and the Lifestyle Crew from $52,990.

Renault claims maximum payload for the 2.0-litre/auto will be 1216kg for the short wheelbase,1250kg for the long wheelbase and 1066kg for the Crew van. Towing capacity is 1715kg braked for the short wheelbase and 1630kg for the long wheelbase and the Crew models.

Its been known that the Trafic has been held back in the market with a lack of an auto, with many fleets not considering the manual only variants in the past. The auto will now open it up to a lot of fleet buyers.

Renault Australia boss Anouk Poelmann said the new automatic, which has been developed from

the auto used in its Megane RS and believes it will boost the appeal of the Trafic and expand into segments where autos are mandatory.

“The Renault Trafic has carved an enviable reputation for itself in the Australian LCV market since it was launched in 2015,” she said.

“With the arrival of a new, more powerful engine combined with the new EDC transmission, the Trafic will broaden its appeal in the market.”

At the same time Renault has given the Trafic range a facelift that includes redesigned bumpers, LED

daytime running lights, a revised grille, an updated interior as well as a reversing camera as standard across the range.

The Trafic range starts with the 85kW short wheelbase Pro manual from $36,490, with the long wheelbase manual at $38,490. The higher-output 103kW manual short wheelbase is proced from $39,490 with the Premium long wheelbase adding $2000.

The updated Trafic including the new automatics went on sale in December.

2019 RENAULT TRAFIC PRICING SWB Pro 85kW LWB Pro 85kW SWB Premium 103kW LWB Premium 103kW SWB Premium 125kW (a) LWB Premium 125kW (a) LWB Crew Lifestyle 125kW (a)

$36,490 $38,490 $39,490 $41,490 $43,490 $45,490 $52,490

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New Product

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FREIGHTLINER IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH A NEW FLAGSHIP ONTO THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE CASCADIA. WHILE IT IS THE BEST SELLING HEAVY DUTY TRUCK IN NORTH AMERICA, FREIGHTLINER HAS HAD A CHECKERED PAST DOWN UNDER AND NO ONE UNDERESTIMATES THE TASK AHEAD OF DAIMLER TRUCKS AUSTRALIA IN ITS QUEST TO MAKE THE CASCADIA NUMBER ONE SELLING HEAVY IN THIS COUNTRY. FREIGHTLINER TOOK THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCK TRADE PRESS TO TO FREIGHTLINER HQ IN PORTLAND, OREGON TO REVEAL ITS PLANS.

o one could have believed that a truck from a wholly owned subsidiary of a German automotive corporation could become number one in the biggest and toughest heavy truck market in the world, not even the people who were tasked with selling it to American truck buyers.

That truck is the Freightliner Cascadia, and when it was launched in the USA in 2003, Freightliner had a market share of around 18 per cent and today almost one in two heavy trucks sold in the Land of the Free wears a Freightliner badge, and the main driver has been its top seller, the Cascadia.

Now we stand ready for the launch of the Cascadia in Australia and while Daimler Trucks Australia boss Daniel Whitehead and his Freightliner lieutenant Stephen Downes aren’t making any boastful claims about how the truck will do down under, it is clear that they are quietly confident that the Cascadia will win the hearts and minds of Aussie heavy truck buyers in a similar way to the success it has had in the US. As we have reported before, the local Daimler team has put an enormous amount of effort and focus into bringing the Cascadia down under and they are using lessons learned from the past, including the many headaches the early Argosy caused and the positive benefits gained from the long and considered gestation period for the Mercedes Benz Actros.

The other ace Whitehead and his team have eagerly grasped, is the backing and strong support from Daimler Trucks North America for bringing Cascadia here, which has come directly from Richard Howard, the head of sales and marketing for DTNA. Howard has championed the cause, particularly following the rationalisation of Freightliner’s export markets, which saw the number of markets drastically reduced and the Australian market given a priority.

Howard has been the architect of the Cascadia’s success particularly since the launch of the P4 Cascadia in 2016 and is the man that has led the team that has made the Cascadia the enormous success it has been in the States.

The expatriate Englishman is a calm man at the helm of the Freightliner juggernaut and he offers some interesting insights into how the company has travelled from a market also ran to clearly dominant leader.

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“It takes a whole organisation to get to achieve what we have here at Daimler Trucks North America and we still have a lot more to do,” Richard Howard told us at DTNA HQ in Portland.

To use an analogy, Howard cited the example of a successful sports team and an ethos many top level sports coaches and motivators use.

“It is the same philosophy as a top sports team adopts, which is make sure you get the processes right and if you do that the score will take care of itself,” said Richard Howard.

“If you get the procedures right then that allows you to be able to handle just about anything the market throws at you, in other words when something goes wrong how does the team react and fix it?”

Howard is one of those guys who commands attention when he walks into the room and has mastered the art of making you feel like you are the only person he is speaking with, even in a large

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group presentation, so it is easy to see how he has motivated the Freightliner team.

“Listening is about being humble,” said Howard. “You can’t lose sight of where we have come from and understand that it is easy to find yourself back there if you don’t listen and have an open mind.

‘For all those who keep the world moving, we start with listening,” Howard adds.

Not only was Freightliner sitting at 18 per cent market share back when Cascadia was launched it also had very low dealer and customer satisfaction.

The company changed its culture and according to Howard became more customer focussed and started to listen more closely to customers and dealers and aimed at elevating the industry.

“Our aim was to have one team and the best team,” Howard added.

So many times statements like these are glib throwaways from executives who have read the latest management text book,

but Freightliner’s achievements over the last 12 years have proved those statements were solid and substantial with strong foundations in reality.

So apart from improved customer focus how did they do it and can they do it in Australia?

Clearly they set out with some very identifiable goals particularly based around innovation and evolution to improve economy, driveability and safety.

The previous Cascadia model in 2016 had five per cent better fuel efficiency than the 2010 model and became a full connected vehicle with a lower total cost of ownership according to Howard.

The 2016 model really took off in the States and drove Freightliner to market leadership with Howard explaining that it had the most extensive launch ever for any Daimler product in the US. “We put ourselves on a constant innovation cycle with lots of testing

“ THIS IS A $100MILLION INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA AND MAKING SURE THE CASCADIA IS RIGHT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC AND VERY DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT DOWN THERE”

and development to constantly push the standard up,” he said.

“We want to ensure that we break our trucks before our customers do and to be the best truck maker in the world, that is our boss Roger Nielsen’s mandate and that is what we strive for,” he added.

Under Howard’s stewardship as the man in charge of sales and marketing DTNA sells a massive 170,000 or so trucks in the USA and Canada each year, or around four times the total Australian truck market.

It is a remarkable performance for DTNA which holds a whopping 48 per cent of the U.S. Class 8 heavy market along with 45.5 per cent of the Canadian Class 8 sector while grabbing 47.4 per cent of the entire NAFTA Class 8 market.

In the lighter heavy medium Class 6 and 7 segments, the company hold’s 41.3 per cent market share in the U.S., 25.4 per cent in Canada and 40.6 per cent of the total NAFTA market.

Cascadia has been Class 8 market leader in the USA since 2009 and there are now more than 700,000 Cascadias on North American roads.

With Howard’s role also encompassing the Australian market his assurances that the company is serious about making Freightliner a sales success down under have been backed up with a substantial investment that may take some time to recoup but as Howard says the company is ‘leading with the long view’.

“This is a $100million investment in Australia and making sure the Cascadia is right for your specific and very difficult environment down there,” he said.

“We want to put our money where our mouth is and our commitment to the Australian market is complete and absolute, we know we have to bring the best of DTNA to Australia and we want to lead on the lowest total cost of ownership,” said Howard.

Asked what sort of volume Freightliner was expecting from the Cascadia in Australia and Howard was ebullient, pointing to the success of the truck in various markets including Mexico where it toppled heavy duty market leader Kenworth and is now number one. He believes the Cascadia can do the same in Australia.

“That is what we are aiming for and we believe in the truck,” said Howard.

Howard went on to say that Australia is a key market because it is on the Pacific Rim and is what he calls a US market.

“If we are a leader in the US market then we can bring those technologies to the Australian market, we have never been able to benefit from that because we were on different strategies, now we will be on the same strategy, he added.

“We see Australia as a long term conventional market and that is why it is key to us,” he said.

The task of getting the next gen Cascadia

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right for Australia has taken more than two years and started with an extensive study of what was required. It is probably fair to say that data collected during the long and arduous test program to bring Mercedes Benz’ Actros to market in Australia gave the DTNA and Daimler Trucks Australia teams an informed starting point.

Having said that the DTNA engineering crew are at pains to point out that while there are some common Daimler architecture and systems underneath the skin the Cascadia is designed totally in the States and is not a Benz adaptation.

One interesting point brought up by the Freightliner crew in Portland was that there is no crashworthiness standard or rating for trucks in the US but being a part of the Daimler empire with its long standing safety ethos, the Cascadia was designed meeting European crashworthiness standards.

T&TA has documented the extensive testing program Cascadia has been put through in Australia over the past 18 months with both left hand and right versions pounding Australian pavement, becoming a familiar site up and down the Hume and Goulburn Valley Highway as well as many other highways and byways.

Six test Cascadias were built specifically for the Australian test program and another three have been on shaker rigs using road profiles from Australian roads. The program sought to understand what would break and what would last in an accelerated schedule. As well as that confirmation of engineering integrity the testing was also for compliance testing for homologation.

One thing that came out early in the testing program was the need for much larger fuel tanks to cope with our distance demands and needs. The testing revealed early that the fuel tank straps were not lasting as they should so the local engineering team adopted the fuel tanks and straps from the Australian spec Actros.

Some componentry has been standardised, like the drivelines, mechatronics and electrical architecture and some other elements, but the cab and chassis are all American and it is fair to say that the evolution we spoke of earlier with Cascadia has educated the future development.

“A clever company will take the problems of the past to learn for the future,” said Richard Howard.

“Australia is very much more of an engineering consideration for us than

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any other market and you could say that perhaps we slightly underestimated the toughness of the Australian conditions in the past,” he added, clearly making a veiled reference to the early Argosy experience.

Some wags might proffer that Daimler executives and engineering staff are still suffering nightmares from the problems with the early Argosy but if one thing stands out, its the desire to avoid any situation remotely like this in the future.

Luis Vega, DTNA’s director of International sales and service, reckons the experience of developing the Cascadia for Australia not only benefits Australian buyers but will have a flow on affect back to the USA as well.

“Australia is a great point of reference,” said Vega. “This program has been all about sharing information with each other, with customers and also about adapting, listening and learning,” he added.

Daimler Trucks Australia president Daniel Whitehead has been pushing his team and pushing DTNA to ensure the Cascadia that we get is the absolute best quality and spec it can be.

“It has been an advantage that Richard Howard and his team have a less domestic focus with Freightliner in the USA and that has meant we have a better audience in Portland, listening to us and giving us what we need,” said Daniel Whitehead.

The day after touring the DTNA campus and in particular its engineering and design centre on Swan Island on the edge of Portland, Oregon, (which included access to the ‘secret skunkworks’ where electric driveline and truck development occurs), we headed a couple of hours inland to the high desert and DTNA’s Madras test track. There we witnessed some of the testing regimes DTNA engineers put trucks through.

Madras, which the locals pronounce as MAD Ras rather than the way we might pronounce the name of the famous Indian city, was opened in 2017 and is nestled in next to the Madras airport.

Daimler engineers spent two years carefully measuring the worst roads they could find around the world and calculating the strains they put on trucks. The company initially spent around $US 18.7 million to establish the High Desert Proving Ground, close to its HQ just across the Cascadia Mountains in Portland. It also gave them a facility that is solely DTNA. Prior to Madras the company used the old Studebaker and Navistar test track in South Bend Indiana.

“A CLEVER COMPANY WILL TAKE THE PROBLEMS OF THE PAST TO LEARN FOR THE FUTURE,”

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It was a third-party test track which was also rented to Daimler competitors. Of course the geographic disconnect between the company’s engineers in Portland and its testing facility sometimes meant days or weeks of delays.

While a lot of automotive proving grounds are veiled in more secrecy and security than the lair of a Bond villain, Madras is used as a sort of interactive showroom where Daimler takes customers to let them drive trucks in the most gruelling environment they’re likely to encounter. There are still plenty of secrets but just well hidden when customers and pesky media are there.

The facility also provides a location that experiences the full spectrum of weather conditions, and also gives a range of highway conditions nearby, where fuelefficiency testing can be carried out. The day we were there in mid summer it was sunny and mild weather in the low 20s but

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temps can climb into the 30s or drop well into the minus range with snow and ice in winter.

Proving ground bosses will tell you that at Madras they have taken the ‘most horrific roads and turned them up to 11’.

The centrepiece of the 35 hectare facility is the durability test track which is designed to put two million km of wear on a truck in just 10,000 km of driving, in other words a truck’s lifetime tested over the course of about six months. There are about six kilometres of test track inside Madras. DTNA base the lifespan of a truck at around two million kilometres because this is where they say that 80 per cent of trucks are scrapped because repair costs total more than half the value of the truck.

We were given the chance to ride in the trucks the operation has been using to test Australian specs on roads with bumps that have been profiled from real roads around

the world. The severity was intense and were far more than just bone jarring, they jangle your entire body and all of your internal organs. In fact they are so severe test drivers have a very strict regime and time limit on the track.

We also got to steer trucks around the big, flat tarmac oval track which offers a high speed run without banked corners, ensuring a more real world experience. The line markings gave us the opportunity to test the automatic lane keep assistance program and experienced the ‘autonomous’ capability of the Cascadia.

Hands off the steering wheel and the truck tracked around the big arc at each end of the long straights and stayed in its lane the whole way around and down the straights as well without any steering inputs from me. It was an incredible and eerie feeling but rings of the imminent future!

It’s an impressive facility that underlines just how serious DTNA is about bringing

the latest technology to its trucks, not just Freightliner but to its Western Star brand as well.

Director of Freightliner in Australia, Stephen Downes realises the importance of the test regime and in ensuring the product is right but tempers that with the need to ensure the ‘software is right’ as well.

“Product will only get you so far, we are acutely aware of that, customer experience and customer service are vital and the dedication of support and back up is equally important to ensure that if there is a problem it is fixed quickly,” said Downes.

“Yes the Cascadia is a great vehicle in North America and that is all well and good but you can’t just cut and paste and that is what we have avoided with Cascadia.

“Just how extensive the test program has been is quite amazing and we believe we have done everything in our power

to make sure it is right for Australia,” Downes says.

The Freightliner Australia boss says that fuel efficiency has been a major focus and has been driving what DTNA has been doing and that will carry over to the Australian versions with their largely Detroit drivelines. Around 95 per cent of all Cascadias in USA are sold with Detroit drivelines, both engines and transmissions.

However the truck is able to be optioned with Cummins and Eaton drivelines as an alternative, however the question that would be asked is ,why would you?

As we wrote in our last issue after visiting the major US fleet C.R England, fuel efficiency is a major plus with Cascadia, with Englands endorsing it as the best performing prime mover when it comes to fuel efficiency.

“That wasn’t spin from C.R England, it wasn’t Stephen Downes saying it, it was that company saying it and relying purely

on its extensive data and fuel testing,” said Downes.

“I have no hesitation in saying this truck will be the most fuel efficient and safest truck in Australia, with a sweep of features that will make it the best,” he added.

“The engines will be the cleanest engines on the market with the most integrated driveline, it will be the most aerodynamic truck available, it will offer the best driver ergonomics and comfort giving better uptime and satisfying chain of responsibility obligations and it will give the highest levels of connectivity and access to data with the ability to use it.

“Above all it will offer the lowest real cost of ownership,” he said confidently.

“The Cascadia gives us the opportunity to re position Freightliner as the technology and safety leader,” Downes says.

Strong claims from the Freightliner boss, but there is a steely resolve.

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MOTOWN RENAISSANCE Think Detroit and you think Motown, home of the US auto industry as well as Berry Gordy’s famous eponymous recording label. But in recent times Detroit has had a bleak and broken image, with the city going broke and the crumbling inner city all but abandoned.

However when we flew into Detroit to visit Daimler Truck’s US engine plant, home of Detroit Diesel, the suburbs that gave birth to so many automotive innovations appeared to be having somewhat of a renaissance.

Daimler has owned Detroit Diesel since the year 2000 when it bought the engine maker from Roger Penske’s Penske Corporation. Penske had owned the company for about 12 years, buying it from GM, which had started Detroit Diesel 50 years earlier in 1938. Like a lot of GM divestments, Detroit was a highly profitable

CAROLINA IN MY MIND

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and well run subsidiary, which is why it was easy to sell. Penske paid around $US150 million for 60 per cent of Detroit and later spun it off through an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. 12 years later Daimler paid around $US750 million to buy it.

Daimler has fully integrated Detroit Diesel into its operations and 94 per cent of all DTNA trucks sold are equipped with Detroit engines and automated manual DD transmissions.

Daimler’s investment in the venerable Detroit name has been part of the renaissance of Detroit. The operation employs around 2800 people and produces around 120,000 engines a year along with 45,000 transmissions and around 110,000 front and rear axles at its 300,000 sq. metre facility just down the road from Ford’s famous Dearborn HQ.

Inside the Detroit Diesel plant Daimler has banished any memories of the dark, noisey and dirty engine plant of old.The plant is clean, relatively quiet and above all light and airy with workers smiling and chatting as they go about their daily tasks.

While Roger Penske was probably rubbing his hands all the way to the bank when he sold Detroit to Daimler, the German corporation got a bargain in many ways. It got a name plate that has 80 years of credibility and cache in the US and across global markets and it has been able to meld its own engine technology into the operation to produce integrated drivelines that according to many operators are delivering it exceptional if not industry leading fuel efficiency and, which has helped it drive to the top of the North American truck market.

Once a bus factory owned by German rival MAN, DTNA’s Cleveland manufacturing plant an hour north of Charlotte in North Carolina is now the epicentre of the company’s manufacturing base employing more than 2300 personnel working two shifts, producing around 105 trucks per day.

It is also where the Cascadias we will be receiving in Australia are built along with, until recently, Argosy for Australia and NZ as well as Coronado and Columbia and Western Star 4700 and 4900 models.

Daimler purchased the Cleveland Plant in 1989 and has spent extensively to modernise and improve the efficiency of the plant which is now its key US truck manufacturing facility. It has invested more than $US350 million in the facility, including a recent $US27 million investment to add a logistics center with state-of-the-art technologies to support the company’s lean just in time supply chain practices.

The productivity of the plant is unquestioned, with the factory recently celebrating the 750,000th truck coming off the production line. Fittingly it was a Cascadia which was purchased by giant US carrier UPS. “Over the past 30 years, the Cleveland plant has served as the foundation for the North American manufacturing operations and has been an integral part of DTNA’s growth, innovation and leadership,” said Roger Nielsen, president and CEO, of DTNA. “The Cleveland facility remains a critical part of our strategy and success,” said Nielsen.

Its obvious everywhere you look that quality is the cornerstone of the way Cleveland operates and there is a very clear and obvious level of worker morale and attitude.

The lines keep running pumping out more than 100 trucks a day but the smiles and attitude of the Cleveland workers is in stark contrast to some US automotive plants we have toured in years gone by.

If the quality is right and Daimler gets all of the other things right with Cascadia then it might just be a challenger to Volvo and Kenworth in the fight for volume in the Australian heavy truck market.

Operator

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UP IN THE RED DIRT COUNTRY OF THE PILBARA, BENEATH THE COBALT BLUE SKIES AND THE SEARING HEAT OF THE SUN, IT IS TOUGH TERRITORY FOR ANY MACHINE AND MOST PARTICULARLY TRUCKS. T&TA HEADED TO WA’S RUGGED NORTH WEST TO TAKE A LOOK AT KARRATHA MACHINERY HIRE AND ITS OPERATIONS IN THE PILBARA.

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ts tough for all trucks but even tougher for trucks on a hire fleet , with a range of different drivers, heavy workload, a touch of occasional mistreatment and that ever present hot weather and choking red dust.

For Karratha Machinery Hire running a fleet of trucks in the tough Pilbara means you have to pick trucks that will last in such tough conditions and you have to make sure you keep up with the maintenance.

Steve Griffiths is the general manager of Karratha Machinery Hire and has been living in the Pilbara for the past 13 years seeing the highs and lows of a town that rode the wave of the resources boom in the early 2000s before the downturn in 2015.

“Its definitely a tough place to do business, you have harsh conditions, tight deadlines, the whole lot really,” Steve Griffiths told us when we visited him in Karratha.

“The heat and the dust are probably the hardest things to cope with, they put the most pressure on machinery, the dust gets into every corner of a truck and the heat really pushes the wear and tear on every part of the machine,” he tells us.

If that isn’t enough the aforementioned roller coaster business environment in the Pilbara poses its own challenges. Legendary stories about the massive wages earned, rents being paid and no expense spared operations in the boom have been matched in more recent times by a plummeting real estate market, mass redundancies, shuttered mining operations and yards full of parked up machinery.

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“ THE ALLISON IS FAVOURED BY OUR CUSTOMERS BECAUSE THEY ARE SAFER AND EASIER TO DRIVE”

“The downturn in 2015 meant the whole town was in a bit of a holding pattern and that made it tough for businesses and it was tough but we hadn’t put all our eggs in one basket and survived,” he added.

Karratha Machinery Hire has been around for more than two decades, and was started by Steve’s father in law, Phil Patterson, establishing a hire fleet of excavators, graders and other machines as well as tip trucks, water trucks and service trucks.

While the big lure are the large mining corporates, KMH made sure it wasn’t totally dependant on just one sector and actively serviced the domestic market looking after the smaller companies

as well as the large.

Another factor that Steve reckons helped was having the right machinery, that was reliable and durable, particularly he says in regards to the trucks on the fleet. The majority of the KMH fleet are Hinos with a couple of other brands including a single Fuso tipper and a Freightliner prime mover that hauls the low loader trailer delivering excavators and other machines to customers.

“We have found the Hinos are good all round trucks, they’re well built, perfect for what we need, parts are easy to get when you need them and they are super reliable,” said Steve.

“We have a pretty strong relationship with Paul McGovern and his team at WA

Hino in Perth which helps, but the Hinos last up here and our customers like them as well,” he said.

The KMH fleet includes three 700 series heavy duty models, eight medium duty 500 series and 11 of the light duty 300 series models. With the fleet being a mix of tippers, water trucks and service trucks, the demands of customers can be met all the way across the Pilbara.

“The customers might want to use them close into Karratha or way out hundreds of kilometres away on a mine site, which means a potentially long drive, and the Hinos are comfortable and easy to drive, the air conditioning doesn’t hurt up here either,” said Steve with a smile.

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“All our Hino medium-duty trucks are equipped with Allisons because it is the only transmission that will live out here on a hire fleet,” said Griffiths.

“A hire truck gets rough treatment from a wide variety of drivers who don’t have ownership of the vehicle, so they are much harder on the machinery. If the truck is a manual, the clutch and transmission get very tough treatment. With Allison Automatics we don’t have to worry about replacing clutches or damage to the gearbox.

The Allison is favoured by our customers because they are safer and easier to drive,” he said. “We get long periods of consistently high temperature over 38 C in the Pilbara, which creates its own problems for all machinery, but the Allisons have never let us down.”

During our trip to Karratha we witnessed some of the Karratha Machinery Hire trucks in action working with customers,

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admittedly close to Karratha and not out in the wild remote parts of the Pilbara where they often work.

One of the 700 series Hinos is configured as a prime mover towing a water tanker trailer and it was out tackling the wild red dirt roads with the tanker transporting water to keep dust down for a construction project.

Similarly down on the sea front at nearby Dampier one of the KMH Hinos, this time a 500 series rigid fitted with a lager water working a large redevelopment of the seaside park and reserve area, hard at work keeping the area damp to ensure minimum dust during the construction phase.

“These are fairly typical examples of the sort of work our trucks handle each day and you have to be flexible and you have to have the trucks there when the client wants them,” said Griffiths.

“Unlike truck rental in the city we can’t

be too precious about the roads and the conditions they will be working in, its all pretty rough and rugged up here,” he added.

While the Pilbara has weathered the severe down turn that came on the back of the drop in iron ore prices and the completion of the major part of the mine construction boom , things are looking up again in recent months.

‘Things have picked up, thanks to the rise in iron ore prices, partly as a result or the reduction in supply from places like Brazil, so that has seen a bit more confidence in local producers and some new projects have been approved, so things are looking up,” said Steve.

With such a solid foundation and a long term commitment to the Pilbara, Karratha Machinery Hire will be around servicing the mineral rich region for many years to come.

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New Technology

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TECHNOLOGY IS DRIVING CHANGE IN EVERY SECTOR OF OUR LIVES. EVERYTHING IS BEING SUBJECTED TO ADVANCES IN ELECTRONICS, PROCESSING POWER AND MATERIALS. THE VEHICLES WE DRIVE ARE ALMOST CHANGING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES, WITH ADVANCES IN SO MANY AREAS EVEN THE WAY WE LOOK BACK IS EVEN CHANGING, WITH SOME FORWARD THINKING THAT COULD ELIMINATE MIRRORS AS WE KNOW THEM.

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ake a look out the side window of any truck cab and there is the familiar tubular framework supporting big mirrors on both sides, giving the driver a necessary view of what is beside and behind the truck. We can’t do without them, but closer analysis of the way we do mirrors on trucks reveals that a large slab of aero drag is down to the mirrors sitting proudly out there in the air flow, not to mention the vulnerability to damage. In fact just the other day we had a big yellow B line double decker clip the mirror in a test truck we were piloting taking the left hand mirror out of play at the worst possible time.

So, its not surprising that a better way of doing mirrors has been on the agenda at the world’s largest truck maker, Daimler, and in fact its revolutionary MirrorCam was the star of last year’s Hanover Truck Show fitted as it was to the newest evolution of the Mercedes Actros.

Now the revolutionary Benz mirror cam system has hit Australian roads in an extended trial ahead of the launch of the updated Actros some time in 2020. The truck T&TA had the chance to steer was an advance test Actros, featuring the ‘mirrorless mirror cam’ and a whole lot of other future tech, giving us a great insight into how the new mirror system actually works.

The Mirror Cam concept is the headline act in a whole bundle of high tech innovation that will be a part of the next gen Actros that will hit Australian roads, just three years after the new Actros platform was launched here. While that new Actros’ arrival in Australia lagged Europe by almost five years, this updated model will be here less than two years after its debut in Hannover in 2018.

Like a lot of new technology the Mirror Cam has had its fair share of nay sayers and doubters but after an hour or so negotiating freeways, urban streets and an industrial

complex we can report that this is a system that will revolutionise truck driving.

While a glass mirror has a fixed narrow view the mirror cam has a wider and more inclusive rear view spanning all lanes of a freeway as well as having some visual cues that allow the driver to judge the distance back to vehicles following. It also has an auto pan feature that widens the view when turning tight bends, giving the driver a view back past the rear of the trailer, where a glass mirror is fixed on the middle of the tautliner. It works so well on so any levels and we predict that in a few years we will be wondering why we waited so long for cameras.

The mirror cam’s other big advantage is the removal of a big slab of steel backing plate and supports for the external mirrors that reduce aero efficiency, generate wind noise and also cause a big black spot looking forward out the side windows.

With Mirror Cam the wind noise in the

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cab is discernibly lower and Benz claim that in Europe it has reduced fuel usage by 1.5 per cent. Local Daimler people say it could be an even bigger drag reduction here in Australia, due to our higher speeds, but that has not been validated yet.

Some have questioned the cost and the potential problems if a driver hits something with the quite small and aerodynamically designed ‘wings’ which house the cameras high up above the doors on each side of the cab. For a start Benz says the mirror cam system is actually cheaper to fit to a truck than conventional mirrors, so cost is not an issue. Secondly the ‘wings’ are for want of a better term, hinged, so that they fold in if they clip a tree, another vehicle or some roadside hardware and we are assured they are quite durable and relatively damage resistant, they definitely won’t shatter like a mirror does. The other thing to think about is what happens when a driver clips a conventional old school mirror and destroys it? So for the naysayers, we say get with the program, this is the future.

Along with the revolutionary mirror system there is a new predictive cruise control and ‘clever’ system that uses GPS data to understand terrain, which enables the cruise control to throttle off when cresting hills to save more fuel.

The new Actros also features what the aviation people call a ‘glass cockpit’ with

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a full solid state LED display both for the central audio/nav/info screen and for the instrument cockpit. This allows multiple displays to be selected and is very easy to use. The system has already been seen in Benz cars and in the Sprinter van range and has been adapted for the new Actros.

It has a very simple multiple, flexible and easy to use interface with finger controls on the wheel, touch screen and voice recognition capability. It’s a fantastic system and takes trucks into a high tech well thought out future tense.

As we mentioned, the new truck we had the chance to sample, is part of Daimler’s fleet of 20 validation trucks, which it is using in a similar way to the test program it ran to validate the current Actros. This testing and evaluation program has become a key part of the way Daimler brings trucks to market here, as we have also witnessed recently with the new Freightliner Cascadia.

It has really become a part of the culture at Daimler.

The program for this updated Actros will still be rigorous but will not need to be as extensive as the last Actros program in the lead up to the launch in 2016, simply because the platform is the same as the current Actros, with the new elements being mostly tech advancements and features such as the Mirrorcam. The latest

update basically uses the same power train, driveline and cab architecture.

The Actros test fleet is running through trials in a variety of applications.

There are some 60 individual updates in the Actros update, and along with the ‘MirrorCam’ the next biggest innovation is the Mercedes-Benz Predictive Powertrain Control, which sees the truck meld topographic and GPS data, along with a degree of ability to ‘learn’ routes to interact with cruise control to minimise fuel consumption.

It also features the latest generation autonomous emergency braking, which Benz calls Active Brake Assist 5.

Benz tech people tell us that the changes mostly are in the truck’s electronics and connectivity, delivering another layer of benefit to the Actros’ existing mechanical platform.

The tech heads say that there are ‘new smarts’ engineered into the architecture in regards to the computing power, enabling the new Actros to deal with information faster and more easily for greater benefit to the driver.

In our brief drive, around two hours all of it seemed to work extremely well and we can’t wait to try it in an extended test when the new trucks arrive in the showrooms around mid 2020. In fact we are looking forward to it.

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New Technology

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MIGHT OF THE CHARGE BRIGADE A DAY AT THE WHEEL OF FUSO’S NEW eCANTER ELECTRIC TRUCK HAS GIVEN US AN INCREDIBLE INSIGHT INTO HOW CITY DELIVERY WORK MIGHT BE LIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS, WITH A LOT LESS NOISE, A LOT LESS POLLUTION AND SOME RAPID ACCELERATION. WE PLUGGED IN TO THE CONTROLS OF THE eCANTER AND CAME AWAY WITH AN AMAZING INSIGHT INTO HOW ELECTRIC TRUCKS MIGHT WORK IN AUSTRALIAN CITIES.

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he big rigid tautliner sits next to us at the traffic lights on Melbourne’s Dandenong Road, the thump and clatter of its diesel engine is reverberating through the cabin of our truck and it seems somehow louder than it would normally. That’s probably not surprising given our truck is making no noise whatsoever. You see we are in an electric truck.

Truck and Bus News had the privilege of being the first Australian media outlet to drive Daimler’s Fuso eCanter on Australian soil and here we were sitting waiting for the traffic lights to turn green to escape the

incessant noise from that truck next to us.

Even in the short time we had been behind the wheel of the eCanter we had quickly become used to the sounds of silence.

We’d climbed aboard the eCanter at Daimler’s corporate HQ in suburban Mulgrave with Romesh Rodrigo, until recently the head of product planning engineering for Fuso in Australia but now the senior manager of homologation and regulatory affairs. Romesh is a product guy and knows his stuff and we couldn’t have had a more enthusiastic and knowledgeable person along with us for this drive.

Fuso seems to be in the box seat in being a part of the Daimler Group, which is throwing everything including the kitchen sink at zero emission transport, including electric trucks, and that was apparent to us when we had the chance to visit Daimler’s Freightliner electrification ‘secret squirrel’ works in the USA recently. Unlike Fuso, its rivals Hino and Isuzu are scrambling to answer the strong demands being made by some Aussie fleet customers who have an eye on green credentials and lowering emissions. Hino and Isuzu are both engaged in local programs with SEA using what are virtually ‘glider’ trucks that

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would be brought in without a power train and would be locally fitted with batteries and an electric powertrain.

Fuso and Romesh Rodrigo are at pains to point out that the eCanter and all of its electric trucks in development are integrated products, built from the start as electric trucks and not as a third party ‘conversion’ like its rivals.

From the outside the 7.5 tonne Canter doesn’t look too dissimilar to its internal combustion powered siblings, save for the signage on the pantech body and across the top of the windscreen proclaiming for all to see that this is a 100 per cent electric powered truck.

We meet the eCanter in one of the big

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sheds at the Daimler HQ surrounded by an array of shiny Benz cars and AMG hotrods. The truck is plugged into a charger installation that would not look out of place in a sci fi film or at a space agency. The truck has been on charge all night and was ready to go with 100 per cent charge.

Climbing into the cab and again there is not a lot of difference to a diesel Canter.

The cockpit is integrated, there are no add on screens or gauges, the electric system has been melded into the cockpit instrumentation. Plug the key into a slot down low on the right hand dash and then press the silver ‘start’ button and the dash lights up. Wait a second or two

and it is ready to shift into drive. There is naturally no noise, no ‘engine’, no rattle of components, just the occasional click of a relay.

Once in drive you press the throttle just like a conventional truck and there is a smooth, instant and strong and insistent thrust forward. It’s the lack of noise that really grabs you, particularly in the first few second before the truck has reached cruising speed when there isn’t even any tyre noise. The fact that after a while the tyre noise becomes the most intrusive sound as you glide down the road at 60 km/h tells you something about the absence of diesel engine noise. When was the last time you noticed tyre noise

in a city delivery truck? Don’t think for a minute that the tyres wee particularly noisy, its just that the lack of sound from an engine just leaves a silent void and that means you notice other noises When we first moved off, the predictive distance calculator on the dash revealed that there was approximately 93 km distance available on this charge. That didn’t seem a lot, but as our drive unfolded we would be pleasantly surprised by the actual economy of the charge.

With one eye on that available distance we set out to not squander the power and while keeping up with the traffic we did not do anything too radical and did not give it too much right foot. Despite this

the instantaneous torque was obvious and apparent.

At one stage as the rain poured from the sky we decided to see exactly how quickly the Fuso would accelerate away from the lights, partly to get away from that noisey rigid sitting next to us and partly out of curiosity. Pushing down hard saw the eCanter squirm on the wet tarmac and slip slightly sideways as we shot away from the line, as we feathered the throttle to ensure we stayed under the speed limit and in control, the noisey truck disappeared backwards in our mirrors. How many times has the slow rumbling acceleration of a truck caused anxiety in getting across an intersection or clearing a turn with

oncoming traffic rushing toward you?

Well you can forget about that now, the eCanter has car like acceleration.

Fuso says the eCanter has 135kW and 390 Nm of torque which comes from its six Mercedes-Benz sourced liquid-cooled 360V, 82.8 kWh lithium-ion battery packs.

Again that 390Nm doesn’t sound like a lot but in reality because it is delivered at peak from start up it has a totally different nature to torque delivered by a diesel.

The eCanter was rated at 7.5 tonne and in this form it delivers a three tonne payload with the truck having a 4.5 tonne tare weight. This is about 600kg heavier than a diesel equivalent but with technology racing ahead tech heads are

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“ WHAT LIES AHEAD IN TRUCK TECHNOLOGY IS STILL LARGELY UNKNOWN BUT WITH DEVELOPMENTS LIKE eCANTER THE FUTURE IS BOTH EXCITING AND EXTREMELY BRIGHT” fairly confident the weight of the batteries in particular will be reduced in time. Still most buyers in this market would not be too inconvenienced by the 600kg higher tare weight.

The truck we were driving was, what Romesh Rogrigo described as version 1.1 and newer incarnations and evolutions are coming, promising greater range lower tare and better performance.

We did a big circle from Mulgrave in toward the Melbourne CBD, heading across to Port Melbourne and then down along the bayside suburbs before tacking our way back to Mulgrave. From pouring rain to bright sunshine Melbourne did its best to live up to its four seasons in one day reputation. On the way we encountered heavy traffic, clear urban running sitting at around 60 km/h and plenty of stop start.

Obviously there is no exhaust brake , clearly there is no exhaust, however there

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is a regenerative braking position on the left hand wand on the steering column.

Engage this and not only do you help slow the eCanter dramatically but you also put charge back into those batteries. The retardation was amazing and it quickly became a contest to see how long we could resist touching the brake pedal.

In the end this was hardly at all and one could imagine that brake pad wear would be minimal in real world operations, meaning another potential cost saving in running the truck day to day.

The eCanter is pegged out at around 90km/h maximum speed in the unit we were driving, which for city delivery truck was fine and did not present any problems during our test.

By the time we arrived back at Mulgrave the predictive distance metre was telling us we still had about 37km in the batteries on this charge and we had travelled 102.9km with about one

third of total charge remaining in the batteries according to the charge gauge, the eCanter’s equivalent to a fuel gauge.

Given it told us at the start that we had 93km range the distance reality should be better than 150km between charging.

With more charging stations on their way around the country, better range and lighter batteries likely to be a reality in the not to distant future and the potential for even better and more efficient electric motors the eCanter version 2.0 and beyond will likely be even more impressive as time rolls on.

With the fatigue inducing properties of noise the eCanter will be a much more pleasant place for future drivers and will make life much easier, cleaner, less tiring and less stressful for them in the future.

What lies ahead in truck technology is still largely unknown but with developments like eCanter the future is both exciting and extremely bright.

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New Model

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ISUZU HAS LED THE MARKET WITH READY FOR WORK TRUCK OPTIONS. OFFERING CUSTOMERS TURN KEY SOLUTIONS FOR NEW TRUCKS WITHOUT THE NEED TO WAIT FOR A BODY TO BE FITTED AND PREPARED FOR THE ROAD. NOW ISUZU HAS EXPANDED ITS OFFERING AND T&TA WENT ALONG TO FIND OUT ALL ABOUT IT. www.truckandbus.net.au 045

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sk any truck maker about the biggest challenges they face and one of the most heard is the difficulty getting bodies built, particularly in a bull market, such as we saw in 2018. There is rarely any shortage of the bare trucks with the factories pumping them out like sausages.

Problem is when the customer comes in with an urgent need for a truck for a particular job and they’re faced with a

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three or more month wait for a body to be fitted making it ready for the road.

The Japanese makers have led the way and some other makers have also joined the movement towards ready built trucks with bodies already fitted and set to go to work.

Isuzu in particular started the trend with its light duty and medium duty models from tippers, to service packs and tray bodies.

Its been a successful and strong strategy for the market leader particularly as many

of the buyers it was looking to attract are moving up out of utes or vans where what you see on the showroom floor is what you generally drive away in a few days later. A ready to go option has helped the Japanese truck makers manage the expectations of the ute and van buyers and was a reason why Isuzu in particular sold a record tally in excess of 10000 trucks last year.

Now Isuzu is further expanding its Ready to Work truck line up adding a

number of new curtain side tautliner body ‘Freightpack’ models to its ready to work range, which last year accounted for around 25 per cent of the top selling maker’s total record sales.

Isuzu’s range now numbers 40 Ready to Work models with the new F Series Freightpack models, which were previewed at the Brisbane Truck Show, adding to the popular N Series Vanpack models.

The five new Freightpack models include

two 10 pallet, two 12 pallet and one 14 pallet variants, all equipped with either Isuzu’s AMT or Allison automatics, with all of them featuring high quality curtain side bodies with Lightning quick release latches, LED interior strip lighting halo step lights, single pallet width load gates and both a reversing camera and a load area camera as standard.

Isuzu’s national sales manager, Les Spaltman, says the Freightpack range has

been carefully honed to meet target market expectations.

“We’ve applied our successful ready to work strategy to the lighter end of the general freight market and now we’re targeting the medium an heavy duty rigid markets with these tightly specced and highly practical F Series Freightpack models,” said Les Spaltman.

“We’ve specified key GVM, engine and transmission configurations providing

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flexible freight workhorses for a variety of operations,” he added.

“The trucks are fitted with a range of time saving and convenience enhancing features and like all Ready to Work models, all can be put straight to work direct from the dealer, “ he said.

Isuzu pointed to government data that shows that the freight task between 2011 and 2031 will increase by around 80 per cent which will in turn drive the demand for more trucks and equipment to move freight to satisfy the growing population and consumer hunger.

Isuzu COO Andrew Harbison says there is no end in sight to freight task growth and that the market is constantly evolving.

Transport & Trucking got to sample all of the new Freightpack models in a drive day around Melbourne, and all performed extremely well.

The ten and 12 pallet variants are powered by either the 5.1 litre 240 horsepower four cylinder with AMT or the eight litre six cylinder 260 horsepower with Allison auto, while the top spec

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14 pallet offering is powered by the 300 horsepower six mated to an automatic.

Isuzu also is aiming to win more traditional ute users over to the light truck sector with the lure of better legal load and towing limits on car driver licence compliant models in its ready to work Traypack, Tipper and Servicepack models.

The company’s product planning and engineering manager Simon Humphries said that utes are simply no longer cutting the mustard in terms of weight and towing capacity.

“Tradies and other operators need to be aware if one of their employees has an accident in an overloaded ute then there is likely to be no insurance cover and there will be implications when it comes to workplace health and safety and Workcover compliance.

“Most utes only have a 3.5 tonne towing capacity while most Isuzu light trucks have a 4.5 tonne towing capacity, “ he added.

“It is safer and a lot easier to move to a light truck particularly given the fact that the price difference is

negligible,” said Humphries.

Humphries said that the company’s Ready to Work range had been ‘researched and determined to be the most packages’ for the applications they were targeting.

“We have done a lot of research into what is going to sell and Isuzu’s global product strategy development ensures we are focussing on customer needs,” Humphries added.

Humphries also pointed to the fact that as well as being able to put the Ready to Work trucks on the road virtually immediately they are also fully supported and warranted bumper to bumper by Isuzu.

‘If Isuzu is selling a Ready to Work model they are covered bumper to bumper so customers have just one point of contact for warranty issues,” he said.

Isuzu also said it is working on a full electronic safety suite for its medium duty trucks to match Hino’s 500 series models, which have partly closed the gap on Isuzu’s market leading line up since they were launched early in 2019 with an extensive electronic safety package as standard.

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New Models

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VOLKSWAGEN HAS DECIDED TO CHASE A LARGER SHARE OF THE LIGHT COMMERCIAL READY TO WORK MARKET AFTER UNVEILING A PROGRAM THAT WILL SEE A NUMBER OF FACTORY APPROVED BODIES AND CONVERSIONS WHICH IT SAYS WILL GENERALLY BE AVAILABLE AS A COMPETE PACKAGE READY TO GO FROM ITS DEALER NETWORK. TT&A WENT ALONG TO VW HQ TO BE BRIEFED ON THE GERMAN MAKERS LINE UP OF CUSTOM COMMERCIALS. www.truckandbus.net.au 051

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he marketers at Volkswagen have realised that there is some strong demand in the commercial and fleet market for ready to work light trucks and custom conversions and has unveiled a line up of vehicles it believes will win it a bigger share of the light commercial market.

This means that like the Japanese truck makers Volkswagen will offer a pantech cargo body or a refrigerator body on its Crafter cab chassis model, as well as two stretched long wheelbase conversions on its popular Amarok and a 12 or a 15 seat mini bus conversion on the Crafter.

The company briefed the commercial vehicle press on the its plans at its Sydney headquarters explaining that most of the offerings set to be available in the first quarter of 2020.

Volkswagen says the range will expand as the program is rolled out with a number of the conversions to be kept in stock

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enabling buyers to order and take delivery of their vehicles without having to wait for bodies to be built or conversion work to be carried out.

While the units on display were European designed and built conversions Volkswagen says it will be sourcing the conversions locally either as Australian suppliers licence the conversion or as the Euro suppliers set up local operations.

Importantly Volkswagen says the conversions will be fully approved and warranted with service and repair available through its network of around100 dealers nationally.

Volkswagen Group Australia, national conversion manager, Andrew Hester told the gathered media that the approved converters are required to meet the rigid factory engineering criteria and because of that the vehicles will still carry the normal five-year warranty.

“VGA has a breadth of capability it has

never possessed and a range unrivalled elsewhere,” said Hester.

“The four top-to-tail solutions here are very much the tip of the iceberg.

Volkswagen and its partners can engineer literally dozens of bespoke variants,” he added.

From a light truck perspective the Crafter cab chassis conversion with a ‘pantech’ Box Body was on display highlighting its light weight but clearly well engineered cargo body.

Volkswagen claims the Crafter with its GRP Box Body is almost half-a-tonne lighter than comparable bodies enabling the VW to deliver the highest payload in its class.

The Crafter Box Body 3.5tonne, front drive 3550 model, which VW had on show, boasts a payload just under a tonne while still being able to be driven on a car licence. The heavier 4.0 tonne version is being offered with 4 Motion

all wheel drive and boasts a payload of just under1.5tonnes while the largest 4.49 tonne rear drive model offers a payload of a shade under two tonnes.

The body has been designed and built by UK company Ingimex which completes the conversion within the VW body builder program and it is looking at either licensing the body to an Australian company or potentially starting up a local operation to handle the builds. Andrew Hester says the fitting and finishing of the bodies would be handled at Volkswagens’ local preparation and finishing centres locate close to the major Australian ports before being shipped to dealers.

The Crafter Box Body on display was also equipped with the optional chain drive tail lift while the rear shutter door system is a high security design featuring interlocking shutter panels, with the door sliding back along the inside of the roof. Unlike a roller door this means less

intrusion into the load space and less likelihood of the door being jimmied or pried open. Another point made by Hester was the fact that the smooth outer finish on the Crafter’s body which will make it ideal for sign-writing and wrapping.

Initially it will be available on a single cab chassis but a dual cab version is likely in the future.

The single cab chassis runs on a 4490 mm wheelbase and is available with either the TDi 340 or TDi410 engines coupled to the 8 speed torque converter auto In terms of engine and gearbox options, all Crafters run the eight-speed auto but customers get a choice of the TDI340 and TDI410 engines within this range depending on the model.

Along with the Crafter cab chassis truck the Crafter mini bus conversion was also presented with either a 15-seat front drive version or a 12-seat 4Motion model.

The Crafter Minibus came about as

a result of an Australian tender process which was won by Australian based conversion company, Amtek, which is based in the Sydney suburb of Revesby.

Volkswagen says it takes it into a new and growing market for mini bus sales. Until the new Crafter mini buses, the nine seat Caravelle based on the smaller Transporter was the extent of its minibus offering.

VGA says the Crafter based bus represents a massive step forward in its capability and will also be available during 2020 in medium-and longwheelbase. All will be equipped with the eight-speed torque converter auto, and will come with additional air-conditioning and heating in the rear passenger area along with a luggage compartment in the rear. Factory options will include satellitenavigation, LED headlights, trendline pack, and driver assist.

The 4Motion (12 seat MWB version can be fitted with a rear difflock and downhill

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assist as well as an electric step available on the front drive and cargo barrier on both versions as well as window tint and off-road componentry.

The other interesting Convert model show was a stretch version of the popular Amarok ute.

The extended-cab Amarok XL and XXL are both aimed at a range of applications from lifestyle uses such as camper bodied off road adventure vehicles to emergency services such as ambulances and potential military use.

The Amarok XL offers a 310mm extension to the dual cab which means you can have the longer single-cab tray length with a full dual-cab passenger area which will deliver huge potential to the ,off road adventure and camper market while also giving tradies a longer fit all tray without compromising passenger space.

The extended Amarok chassis was

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created in the Netherlands by Veth Automotive who engineered and designed the conversion. They have now partnered with Adelaide-based Adaptive Manufacturing which will undertake the conversion here in Australia Both the XL and XXL will be offered with either the V6 or four-cylinder diesels mated to the eight-speed auto.

The XLL’s 650mm chassis extension offers even more potential for ambulance bodies and special off road applications, and both will carry the same warranty as the base vehicle as well as having a tested and reprogrammed version of VW’s electronic stability control (ESC) matched to the vehicle’s longer wheelbase.

They also showed a Tiguan Proline, based on Volkswagen’s popular small SUV and which has already found favour with the Victoria Police which is using it in a variety of applications and which VW hopes to convince other Police forces

around the country to purchase.

The Tiguan Proline follows on from the company’s successful Passat Proline program, which has seen Passat Proline variants used by Victoria Police general duties and the high performance 206TSI 4MOTION Proline Wagons deployed by that state’s Highway Patrol and special duties operations The Tiguan Proline has been designed for emergency first responders and is based on the Alltrack Comfortline with the third row of seating removed for greater equipment storage. It is powered by the 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine originally tuned for the Golf GTI. The bottom line according to Volkswagen is that the new factory endorsed range of conversions is designed to provide the most diverse range of “turn key” solutions on the Australian market, we can but agree.

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ONE OF THE TRUE SURPRISES IN THE AUSTRALIAN VEHICLE MARKET IN RECENT TIMES HAS BEEN MITSUBISHI, A BRAND THAT HAS BEEN PUNCHING WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT, SELLING MORE VEHICLES THAN ANY ONE COULD IMAGINE, FROM A LINE UP OF PRODUCTS, THAT IN ALL FAIRNESS HAS NO STAND OUTS, IS GENERALLY OLDER AND LESS GLITZY THAN ITS OPPONENTS, BUT WHICH IS DEPENDABLE, GOOD VALUE AND CLEARLY APPEALS TO THE MARKET. ONE SUCH EXAMPLE IS THE MITSUBISHI TRITON AND WE TOOK ONE FOR A TEST RECENTLY TO FIGURE OUT WHY THEY ARE SO POPULAR.

A

bunch of fairly non-descript SUVs, a four-wheel drive flagship that is well into its second decade and a ute in the Triton that some might say has challenging looks. But this line up is selling up a storm and we reckon Mitsubishi is laughing all the way to the bank.

We recently had a week with the top of the line Triton GLS Premium ute, with the original plan being to take it to Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour for a photo assignment on the WRC event. However the disastrous and tragic fires around Coffs saw the rally cancelled and we didn’t get the chance to explore the dirt roads and forests of the NSW North Coast. Instead we navigated the urban jungle with a short but effective excursion on to a dirt track to validate the Mitsi’s off road capability, not that we doubted it.

In the burgeoning ute market, the Triton quietly gets on with it and in sales sits in third place behind the star Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. However Triton is less expensive than the two leaders, and this makes up for the slightly smaller dimensions and lower power as well as the fact that its auto trans is a little less sophisticated.

As we mentioned the Triton GLS Premium we tested, is the top of the line, and bears a price tag of $51,900 rrp plus on roads. That is the key to the success of the Triton and underlines the value across the Mitsubishi ute line up.

Under the bonnet is Mitsubishi’s highly capable direct-injection 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder mated to a six-speed automatic transmission (as we said a little less sophisticated than its opponents which have more gears) and an excellent four-wheel drive system.

Mitsubishi’s MIVEC all-alloy 2.4-litre has been nestling in the engine bay of Triton since 2015 and boasts max power of 133kW and torque of 430Nm, figures that are also shaded by both the Toyota and Ford offerings. But the engine does the job, it has bags of usable torque and powers the Triton well, either loaded or unloaded, with a minimum of fuss.

Where the Triton GLS Premium really excels, is in its equipment levels, which includes dual-zone climate control air con, heated leather front seats, with power adjustment on the driver’s seat, automatic lights and wipers, a seven-inch touch screen multimedia system equipped with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as well as with a digital radio function, a 360-degree camera, LED headlights and taillights and keyless entry with pushbutton start.

As well as all that fruit, with the Premium you also get 18-inch rims, a full tray liner, a sports bar, a nudge bar, and a rear diff lock all as standard.

The Triton benefits from Mitsubishi’s off road expertise and it uses a proper low-range transfer case, and is also equipped with hill descent control and, as we mentioned, a locking rear diff on the Premium. Four-wheel drive both high and low range can be selected with an easy to use twist knob on the centre console.

Head off road and the tough, highly capable Triton is in its element. With leaf springs at the back and coils at the front, it ambles over rough country with ease and delivers good traction and performance in all sorts of conditions. It also has very good ground clearance with 220mm available and a 27.5-degree approach angle along with a not as good 23-degree departure angle at the rear, something that is hampered by the fairly long rear overhang.

Although slightly shorter and narrower than HiLux and Ranger, the Triton is only lacking by a few millimetres here and there, certainly nothing that handicaps it severely in the comparison.

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It has a big and very usable tray, lined as it is, with the aforementioned standard tray liner, and again while it is a few millimetres smaller than its two rival utes, it is nothing to worry about.

Triton is rated for a 3100kg towing capacity, a much discussed topic these days with dual cab utes, given they are often the vehicle of choice for grey nomads and their mobile McMansions, otherwise known as caravans. The Triton is down about 400kg on most of its 3500kg rated opponents, however it has more payload, so you will still be able to have some passengers and gear inside the ute while hauling the van, a factor some other utes struggle with.

With a tare weight of 2045kg and a total potential loaded weight or GVM of 2900g, it means the Triton delivers an 855kg load capacity including people and payload, which is the real weight you have

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to concentrate on. No use having a 3500kg tow capacity if the ute has a small payload that robs you of the ability to transport people and goods at the same time.

The Triton is heavy duty and does have a suspension built to cope with a load off road, you can feel it as it walks over rough ground and it has a durable quality about the way it handles the rough stuff.

Inside the cab there is a reasonable amount of room and space, particularly in the back seat where there is room for three decent size adults. However a gripe we have with a few utes, including the Triton, is the low roofline combined with the high floor and ground clearance, which makes it a real chore to enter and exit, even for a 178cm size driver. This is where utes like the VW Amarok and Ford Ranger stand out, particularly along side the likes of Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota Hi Lux. The cab is well appointed and the

interior styling is better than the exterior in our view. The dash is well laid out and switchgear and gauges are easy to use and read, while the steering wheel is adjustable for reach and rake and along with the driver’s seats it is able to deliver a good range of driving positions for all sizes.

Seats are well designed and are sized, comfortable and supportive ,even after hours at the wheel. Obviously in the Premium leather is standard so it adds a degree of luxury to a utilitarian conveyance.

There are big front door pockets , which easily accommodate water bottles and other items that need to be stowed while travelling so there is plenty of room for al the odds and sods.

On the road the Triton, well it is a 4x4 dual cab ute, and if you thought you were buying a sports car then you are in the wrong place.

If you’re buying a dual-cab ute because you think they will drive nicely on the road, you’re going to be disappointed.

Let us repeat, its a ute folks, it has a high centre of gravity, is sprung stiffly for a big load and towing and is a goods carrying vehicle. The nature of the suspension means it skitters about on bumpy roads, but it is well damped and controlled and is far from being nervous, as some cheaper utes are.

Of course if there is weight on board the vehicle site down on its suspension and is a whole lot nicer to drive because that is what it is designed for.

Again the steering is not the pin sharp response you’ll get in a sports car and the brakes have their limits but it is still a comfortable drive across a range of conditions and at least as good as the HiLux and Ranger in this area.

When you go off road the combination

of the suspension and Mitsubishi’s superb 4WD system ensures you never have a problem achieving good traction and road holding in all sorts of conditions.

The electronically controlled Mitsubishi system offers multiple off-road modes, but with the auto mode, the locking rear diff and the hill descent control, the system would be damn near fool proof.

The bonus is the fact that it offers full time four wheel drive in high range on road, meaning it a lot safer in wet, muddy or icy conditions.

Safety wise Mitsubishi has packed the GLS Premium full of the latest safety equipment as standard, including full-length curtain bags, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot warning, trailer sway control and unmitigated acceleration prevention system, stopping drivers from accidental acceleration into obstacles in slow-

speed situations. As a result of this the Triton’s five star ANCAP rating would still be valid, even thought it was first promulgated five years ago.

Paddle shifters allow you to override the auto trans and easily choose your own gear, which is a benefit off road and on.

Overall, though, the Triton manages its dual jobs of road-going passenger car and off-road utility vehicle pretty well.

The Triton is easy on the fuel and during our 450 km at the wheel of the GLS our average was 9.1 litres per 100km, not too far off the claimed average of 8.6litres per 100. So with a 75-litre tank the Triton can deliver a range of around 875 km, more than enough even if you are heading off road into outback conditions.

Mitsubishi’s strategy of offering reliable, dependable, straightforward value for money in cars like the Triton is clearly working and the Triton is proof of that.

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Company Car

'S

HYUNDAI IS KEEN TO BE ONE OF THE LEADERS IN THE EV MARKET AND NOW HAS TWO CARS IN ITS BATTERY EV RANGE WITH THE IONIQ AND THE RECENTLY ADDED KONA ELECTRIC. WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE TO TRY THE KONA EV RECENTLY, WE JUMPED AT THE CHANCE, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAD RECENTLY TESTED FUSO’S ECANTER LIGHT ELECTRIC TRUCK. THE WORLD IS DEFINITELY PLUGGING INTO A NEW WAY OF MOVING.

W

hile there are government subsidies for EV purchase in many European countries no such incentives happen here in Australia.

The result is that Hyundai’s Kona Electric is not a cheap proposition with a recommended price of $59,995, for what amounts to a two-wheel drive compact cross over with a fairly basic fit out and finish. Interestingly it is $21,000 more than the petrol-powered Kona Highlander.

In Britain, for instance, where government incentives are offered the Electric car’s price is considerably less.

Even by comparison with its stable mate the Ioniq, the Kona Electric is about $10000 dearer and it is $5000 more expensive than the Nissan Leaf. However, there is good reason for the price disparity.

You see Kona has considerably more

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range than any of those opponents with its large battery capability and efficiency. The Kona boasts a real word range of about 450km while the Ioniq can only manage about 230km, the Leaf about 270km and the Bimmer about 260km When we climbed behind the wheel of the Kona and pressed the start button, nothing happened, well nothing audible at any rate, apart from a relay click, there is no noise until the audio system clicks in and the air conditioning fans start quietly whirring. The dash lights up with all of the relevant information but apart from that there is little indication that the Kona is ready to go Press the D button on the centre console and the Kona slips away with elegant silence and nonchalance, it surges down the road seemingly without effort, the fact that the electric motor delivers max torque from

start-up means that its 395Nm of are all there from the instant your tootsie hits the accelerator. The power is delivered from a lithium-ion battery pack buried low down in the floor which supplies the 150kW electric motor driving the front wheels.

The Kona races to 100km/h in about 7.6 secs which for a cross over SUV weighing the best part of 1700kgs thanks to those battery packs and other equipment is a pretty fair performance.

The range anxiety/competitive edge that is part of my make-up meant my first hour or so behind the wheel was all about preserving as much range on the gauge on the dash as I possibly could. Trying to see how fast the Kona accelerated cost me a few kilometres at the start but once I mastered the regenerative braking paddles on the steering column, I was trying to see how much I could slow the car without

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touching the brake and as. By the time we had covered 50 km the gauge had been down to 390km but then bounced back up to 410km thanks to the regen power.

The paddles allow. Three stages of braking intensity and can slow the vehicle significantly and smoothly and if you hold the left paddle on fully you can bring the car to a full stop, without using the service brakes.

The range of 450km will get you roughly half way to Melbourne or Brisbane from Sydney and given Kona’s feature of accepting a 100kW DC rapid-charge means that a one hour lunch stop on a roughly 900km intercity run could see the batteries fully recharged to cover the other half of the journey while you munch on a sandwich. That’s something the other more ‘city oriented’ battery electrics can’t boast.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to do a longer-range test drive and confined our test to around town, but it never looked like running out of charge even when driven hard. It was also easy to plug into a mains outlet for overnight top ups.

The Type 2 plug-in point is positioned behind a flap in the grille at the front of the car, so it is easy to access and fast to plug in. While the 100kW DC fast-charger will fill the batteries from empty to 80 per cent in about 55 minutes, a shorter 15-minute charge will deliver enough juice to take you another 100km.

Driving wise we really liked the Kona.

It has really nice dynamics, with agile handling and good turn in thanks to not having a big heavy petrol or diesel power plant sitting over the from wheels. One thing that does benefit the handling even more is the weight of the battery packs

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sitting low down in the floor pan which keeps the thing pinned down to the road nicely with a good, low centre of gravity.

The Kona Electric stands out from its petrol-powered sibling thanks to the solid body coloured solid grille panel, while there are also what Hyundai calls active air flaps in the front bumper as well as a more aerodynamic rear bumper, more body cladding, standard roof rails and 17inch alloy wheels.

The interior is marked with a new digital instrument cluster and a big techy looking centre screen, an impressive climate control panel and redesigned centre console with buttons controlling the drive as well as a heap more storage space.

Hyundai’s full range suite of safety technology features as part of its of SmartSense active safety package with camera and radar collision alert and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping/ centring assist, active cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert and driver-attention alert. Thanks to all that plus the inherent safety built into the Kona it comes with an ANCAP 5-star rating.

The Kona Electric comes in two grades, the entry level Elite and the upper level Highlander which wears a $4500 price tag.

The Elite is well equipped with standard rain sensing wipers, climate control air con, an eight-inch central screen with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather seats, a proximity key and button start, as well as an Infinity audio system with DAB digital radio.

Move up to the Highlander and you get a whole swag of extras including front parking sensors, LED headlights and

taillights, a sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a heads-up display, high beam assist and a wireless phone charging pad.

Another interesting feature on both Kona Electric models is the Hyundai Auto Link Premium SIM, am integrated smartphone app which links with the car’s ECU. This can provide interesting data including driving history, efficiency, health of the car, battery status and a whole bunch of other info. It also enables you to locate the car, and who hasn’t wandered into a vast car park and wondered where the hell did, I park the car? It also enables you to log trips and book the car in for services through the app. The best feature is being able to and remotely lock and unlock it as well as turning on its hazard lights, sounding the horn and cooling the interior down or warming it up by switching on the climate control.

The Kona Electric is a fun and engaging car to drive and one we enjoyed immensely during our week behind the wheel.

The practicalities are however that it is hard for most to justify the large price premium over the petrol versions.

Only a steep price reduction by way of a government subsidy or a dramatic price decrease in battery costs will take the Kona Electric mainstream, but as Tesla has proved early adopters and there is a niche audience made up of those keen to make a difference or a statement in a climate changing environment.

Have no doubt this is a really good electric car that has the ability to change the way we think about battery powered vehicles and Hyundai has done a great job with it.

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MONEY MATTERS PAUL CLITHROE SCHOOL COSTS – PREPARE FOR PLENTY AND HOME INSURANCE SET TO RISE. PARENTS AROUND THE NATION WILL BE BREATHING A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF AS THEIR KIDS RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK, BUT THE RESPITE MAY ONLY LAST UNTIL THE FIRST BATCH OF BILLS ARRIVE.

I

t’s that time of year when headlines alert parents to rising school costs.

Only recently I read about parents forking out around $500 to kit their children out for the new school year.

But this can be the tip of the iceberg.

At one private school in Melbourne parents face annual fees for 2020 ranging from $16,500 for 3-year olds attending its (3-days per week) pre-school to $37,000 for a Year 12 student.

Obviously this sort of cost is beyond many families. But the common thread is that all parents want the best for their children. For some that may mean a private school education with all the trimmings. For others, the local public school is a great option.

Whatever you decide on, it’s a fair bet that education costs will take you by surprise.

These days, mums and dads have to pay for a lot more than a sturdy school bag and a decent pencil case. Students are often expected to bring a digital device to school, which can add an extra $2,000 to the year’s school bills.

Bear in mind too that education expenses aren’t a one-off. They are going to be part of your life for around 13 years. Research suggests that you could pay a total of anything from $68,000 for a public school education to upwards of $298,000 if you opt for the private system.

Like any major cost, education expenses can be more manageable if you plan ahead and put money aside from an early stage.

As education expenses continue to outpace inflation, one strategy that can make sense is to set up an investment portfolio for your child. It’s worth speaking with your tax adviser about whose name the portfolio is held in.

High levels of tax can apply to minors on unearned investment income.

From here, parents can select from a variety of investments to save for education. The key is to work out an investment strategy that fits your budget and timeframe. But be mindful of any fees you pay. These will eat into your education savings portfolio, and high fees are not an indicator of higher returns.

Ultimately, there’s not much point giving your kids a private school education if it leaves your family financially skewered. What matters is that the school you choose meets your child’s needs, your personal values and your ability to pay.

Meantime on another essential cost let’s move to home and contents insurance.

This is a must-have when you’re a home owner. But following this summer’s devastating bushfires, it’s a fair bet that premiums will rise.

By the first week in January, the insurance industry had paid out over $700 million on 9,000 bushfire-related claims made since September 2019.

Having insurance in place must be a tremendous relief for anyone who lost their home in the bushfires. However, these sorts of losses could prompt an industry rethink on what constitutes a high risk area.

Already, home owners in Australia’s cyclone-prone northern regions, face average home and contents premiums of more than $3,500.

A report by consumer watchdog, the ACCC, found that in Port Hedland in north-west WA, home and contents cover can cost around $5,256 annually. That’s almost four times the average of $1,400 across the rest of Australia.

Many northern Australian home owners are trying to cope with higher premiums by insuring their homes for less, or agreeing to pay a higher excess. Neither is an ideal solution. It can mean being underinsured or simply not having the

cash to pay the excess at claim time.

Others are managing the situation by paying premiums in instalments. The trouble is, the ACCC says this can mean paying additional fees that add up to hundreds of dollars each year.

Not surprisingly, home owners in the north are bailing out of home and contents cover at an alarming rate.

Two in five homes in northern WA aren’t insured. One in four in the Territory aren’t covered by insurance. And in northern Queensland, one in five home owners have decided to go without cover.

This is a real problem because you still have to pay the mortgage if your home is damaged or destroyed.

The ACCC is looking into industry changes that could support more affordable home insurance in the northern part of Australia. And it’s an issue that could extend to other areas following the recent bushfire crisis.

In the meantime, it is critical to shop around for home and contents cover when it comes up for renewal each year.

Insurance companies can assess the risk of your home quite differently based on their own claims data.

It can also help to point out to insurers any steps you’ve taken to protect your property from the main risks posed in your neighbourhood.

It’s no guarantee that you’ll be offered a lower premium, but it can set your home apart from others when an insurer calculates the premium.

Summer is far from over. If you’re unsure how you can best protect your home against bushfires, the Rural Fire Service of NSW and Victoria’s Country Fire Service both provide valuable tips on their websites.

Paul Clitheroe is Chairman of InvestSMART, Chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money Magazine..

Visit: paulsmoney.com.au for more information.

ALL IT TAKES At Kumho, we deliver a smoother, safer ride for you and your cargo – on tyres designed to perform in all Australian conditions. Whether it’s a light load or heavy highway haulage, our commitment to quality will deliver you great value and a safer tomorrow.

And like a circle, it never ends. We’ll continue to look for new ways to make your experience better. It’s just what we do.

KUMHO TYRE. BETTER, ALL-WAYS.

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THE SAFEST JAPANESE TRUCK IN ITS CLASS. The all-new street smart Hino 500 Series Standard Cab takes safety to a whole new level with vitally important safety features once considered XAVIER_HINO36738/F

options, now standard inclusions. Like Adaptive Cruise Control, which utilises smart technology to detect the vehicle in front and maintain a safe travelling distance by automatically reducing engine acceleration and activating the engine brake to slow the vehicle. The smarter, tougher & safer Hino 500 Series Standard Cab. To find out more visit hino.com.au

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*The driver remains solely responsible for driving safely. This safety system is a secondary aid to assist the driver and has limitation in recognition and performance.

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