12newsDAF Trucks optimistic about the futureDAF Trucks may have been absent at this year’s CV Show in Birmingham, buttheir Managing Director Ray Ashworth has confirmed they will be back at the 2013exhibition, and he’s been speaking about his optimism for the future.DAF Trucks ManagingDirector Ray Ashworth“DAF were very much atthe CV Show last year and I canassure you we will be back nextyear as well as some significantactivity later this year at Hanover.”Part of the reason for theirabsence this year was the fact thatDAF exhibited two weeks earlierat the RAI show in Amsterdamafter a break of five years.“It was clearly important for us tobe there after five years and DAFused the opportunity to launchthe Euro 6 engine. This is a cleardemonstration that DAF have thetechnology ready for Euro 6 andindeed learnt a lot from its sisterproduct - the EPA10 MX enginethat is now sold in somethinglike 25% of all Kenworth andPeterbilt trucks in the USA.“Whilst that engine uses thetechnology platform and SCRand EGR, together with aclosed type particulate filter,our new Euro 6 engine is verymuch more sophisticated.“The integration of the aftertreatment system usingover 40 sensors, 14 controlunits and common rail fuelinjection running at 2,500 barpressures and variable geometryturbocharger technologies makethis new MX13 Euro 6 enginea much more complex productdevelopment challenge.”The first appearance of thisengine in a vehicle will belater this year, and added RayAshworth: “All this Euro 6development doesn’t mean we’vestopped Euro 5 development.We will carry on building Euro 5alongside Euro 6 in the comingyears because DAF is a verydifferent company to that of onlyfive years ago. Many parts of theworld remain happy with Euro 3or Euro 5 technology includingour new markets of Brazil, Indiaand China where PACCAR hasinvested heavily over recent years.“Our focus for 2012 will beon promoting the existingmodel range with a focus onfuel economy. That meansadvanced transport efficiency(ATe) - upgraded enginesand aerodynamic bodies.“Our new ATe Euro 5 enginerange with new pistons, software,oil control and other fuel savingdevices are showing typicalimprovements of 3-5% comparedwith equivalent models of 12months’ ago. Of course thatgives us a challenge for Euro6 as well because our targetis to match this new improvedfuel efficiency at Euro 6. Ouraerodynamic body on the LF hasa proven 8.3% fuel saving.”He says that in the UK market,customers continue to want Euro5 - not Euro 6. “Lots of operatorswant to know about Euro 6 andits implications, but they generallydecide that Euro 5 remains theirway forward and that the limitedreduced pollution incentivesare not substantial enough.”He added that the market so farthis year has held up remarkablywell - over 25% up on last yearso far, but there are, he said, signsof some hesitancy, although heexpects the market to build againtowards the end of this year inthe run up to 2013 and Euro 6.“As for DAF, I’m delighted tosay that our market share isrunning at virtually 30% whichis an all-time high. The LF inparticular is doing very well beingresponsible for nearly 40% ofall sales in its sector. PACCARFinancial are now funding over40% share of our registrationsdespite all the headline newsthat the banks are back; over3,000 orders year-to-date.“Similarly our factory bodyprogramme is now wellestablished with over 2,000now in operation and an annualrunning level of over 1,000bodied vehicles coming out of thefactory at Leyland which probablyputs us in the top 5 UK bodybuilders. Our dealer networkremains buoyant - they’ve beenthrough a tough couple of years,but continue to invest and thestatistics look quite good.“I’m not saying that everythingis rosy, but I am saying that themarket will continue to be toughbut positive and particularly therental market is very strong.We look forward - with alevel of optimism - to the restof 2012 and into 2013.”Iveco prepares ultimate fuel saving heavy truck combinationIveco is preparing what it believes could be the ultimate fuel-saving heavytruck combination for press evaluation, after pairing its ECOSTRALIS 6x2 midlifttractor unit with Montracton’s new FST (fuel saving trailer).The tri-axle box van semitraileris claimed by Montraconto return fuel savings of upto 8 per cent compared withtraditional box vans. It is now apermanent addition to Iveco’sDunstable-based press fleetand will be available for mediaappraisal and road test in theUK and Ireland throughout2012, in conjunction with theECOSTRALIS AS440S46TX/P.Nigel Emms, Press and PublicRelations Director of Iveco,says: “With diesel prices atrecord levels and an additional3.02p in fuel duty beingadded by the Chancellor on 1August 2012, fleets need to beincreasingly innovative if theyare to keep fuel bills in check.“We’re confident that pairing ourultra-fuel-efficient ECOSTRALISwith this sleek new aerodynamictrailer will demonstrate afurther way for fleets to saveat the pumps,” he adds.The ECOSTRALIS features are-mapped version of the EEVratedFPT Cursor 10 engine,designed to reduce fuelconsumption whilst maintainingperformance. The 10.3 litreengine is capable of producingup to 460 hp and a maximumtorque of 2,100 Nm between1,050 and 1,550 rev/min.Additional fuel-saving featuresinclude an ECOSWITCH devicethat uses the vehicle weightinformation from the ECAS/EBSsystems to limit engine torqueaccording to the truck’s grossvehicle weight – ensuring overallperformance is maintainedin line with that of a fullyladen vehicle. This allows fuelconsumption to be minimisedduring acceleration withoutaffecting overall speed capability.The fuel-saving propertiesincorporated into the FST havebeen achieved by Montraconwithout any change to overallheight (4.2m), capacity orload placing flexibility.Montracon claim that the keyto the design is a curved roof,trailer sides that taper 40mmat the back plus the applicationof a line of vortex generators atthe rear edges of the roof andsides. This combination servesto divert the attached air flowfrom the trailer roof/sides into theimmediate trailer wake, whichreduces the partial vacuum orbased pressure drag (suction)that develops progressively inthis location with vehicle speed,to the benefit of fuel economy.Matched to the curved roof is agently sloping trailer bed (frontto rear), and aerodynamic frontbulkhead and aerodynamicside skirts that channel airflow along the trailer sides –away from the underside.News 6pgs.indd 12 11/05/2012 10:14
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