Author:charleen-clarke
We have launched an all-new series in FOCUS, entitled Face to Face, in which we interview captains of industry. This time around, CHARLEEN CLARKE goes face to face with Gianenrico Griffini, chairman of the International Truck of the Year jury First of all, some background to you, please. I know that you are one of the most important commercial-vehicle journalists in Italy and also in Europe for that matter. I also know that you used to work as press officer […]
My dear friend, Jarlath Sweeney, editor-in-chief of Ireland’s Fleet Transport magazine, brought this incredible vehicle to our attention. Sadly, it’s just a concept – but isn’t it cool? It’s the Civic Type R Pick-up Truck, and it was built by a specialist team from the product engineering department at the Honda of the United Kingdom Manufacturing (HUM) factory in Swindon. Codenamed “Project P”, the Civic Type R Pickup Truck has been modified and developed from a standard road car to create […]
MAN has a treat of trucking innovations in store for visitors to the IAA this month. These are in addition to the bus, coach and van innovations that I reviewed in the last Global Focus column (you’ll find it online). The undisputed superstar of the trucking line-up at the IAA will be the all-electric MAN eTruck. Based on the TGM, this 6×2 is being delivered to nine Austrian companies right now – and it’s a truly spectacular vehicle. I drove […]
Highway maintenance personnel take their lives into their own hands – quite literally – when working on German highways. As we all know, many highways in that country have no speed limit – meaning that these highways full of hurtling missiles. The consequences of this situation are dire; deaths are common. In fact, German researchers discovered that road service staff face a risk that is 13-times higher than equivalent workers (who are doing similar jobs, but not working on highways). […]
Regular readers of this column will recall that I visited ZF, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, last month in order to attend the company’s Technology Day. We saw lots of amazing stuff – but this really takes the cake, doesn’t it? This is the Rinspeed Snap mobility concept. It is made up of a “skateboard” in the form of the Intelligent Dynamic Driving Chassis from ZF. This is a platform specially developed by ZF for autonomous electric vehicles. Depending on the application, […]
We have launched an all-new series in FOCUS, entitled Face to Face, in which we interview captains of industry. This time around, CHARLEEN CLARKE goes face to face with Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks. You appear to be riding a wave of success right now? Yes. For us, as for many of our competitors, it is a very hot market. In more than 30 years with Volvo, I have never seen Europe and North America (which is very important […]
If you don’t do bling, you will hate this new bakkie. CHARLEEN CLARKE, on the other hand, absolutely adores it. A couple of decades ago, I ordered a Peugeot 206 cc – in orange. Not only was the exterior orange, so, too, were the seats. My friends thought I had lost my mind. “How can you possibly order an orange car? Have you gone mad?” they enquired, weeping, wailing and shielding their eyes… “You will battle to sell it one […]
I have just returned from Berlin, where MAN gave journalists an exclusive preview into what the company has up its Bavarian sleeve for this year’s IAA. I think it is fair to say that IAA visitors will be in for a treat. The location for the event was Berlin Brandenburg Airport – the German capital’s new and as yet unfinished airport. What’s noteworthy about this airport? It has two things in abundance: lots of free space and lots of controversy. […]
Recently, along with the rest of the jury members on the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) judging panel, I was invited to Sweden to experience the latest product offerings and technology innovations from Volvo Trucks. What an eye opener! Before travelling to Gothenburg, I thought that I knew exactly what the company was getting up to. I was wrong! The visit incorporated many aspects … You can read more about my trip in my next Global Focus column. For […]
Iveco is returning to the European Truck Racing Championship this year with a female driver! Her name is Steffi Halm. She’s 33 years old, hails from Germany and is part of the Schwabentruck team. Iveco’s official role is that of technical sponsor to the Hahn Racing and Schwabentruck teams. The latter has represented the brand for the past nine years, while Team Hahn won the 2016 championship. Halm and the other drivers are driving a Stralis 440 E 56 XP-R […]
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