Author:charleen-clarke
The so-called “Seven Sisters” (the seven established European brands, namely Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Iveco, Renault, Scania, DAF and Volvo) could be in for a wake-up call in the form of Ford Trucks. Ford trucks are produced by a company called Ford Otosan, which was established in 1959. The company is owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding, the largest industrial conglomerate in Turkey. I have been spending quite a bit of time with this company (which, sadly, has no plans […]
We’re launching an all-new series in FOCUS called Face to Face, in which we will interview captains of industry. In the first instalment within the new series, CHARLEEN CLARKE goes face-to-face with Markus Geyer, MD of MAN Automotive. You had a great 2017. Well done! How is MAN Automotive performing in 2018? I would like to answer this question from a local perspective where we play predominantly in the heavy bus and extra-heavy truck segments. We have managed to increase our […]
FOCUS has just returned from Friedrichshafen, Germany, where we have seen the future of trucking … and it looks utterly fascinating! We were invited to Friedrichshafen by ZF. The company hosts Technology Days each year, during which it predicts and demonstrates future technology. This year, one of the most fascinating topics was the cab of the future which – according to the very clever engineers at ZF – won’t require a steering wheel or pedals for that matter. Instead, the […]
South African truckers are playing a key role in the distribution of heroin. This has emerged in a report by ENACT* The report – authored by Simone Haysom, Peter Gastrow and Mark Shaw – is entitled “The heroin coast: A political economy along the eastern African seaboard”, and it paints a truly frightening picture. Rather terrifyingly, South African truckers and Gauteng’s City Deep container depot are named as key players in the heroin trade! The authors maintain that, in recent […]
Stelvio. Could there be a more evocative-sounding name for a vehicle? Alfa Romeo’s first SUV is, in fact, named after the famous winding road through the Alps in northern Italy. Widely known to be one of the best driver’s roads in the world, use of this famous mountain road’s name hints at Alfa’s intentions for this vehicle – sporty and engaging, with the practicality and surefooted ability of an all-wheel drive SUV. Engaging it certainly is. From the moment you […]
Ford has launched the fabulous all-new Fiesta Sport Van in the United Kingdom. The launch took place recently at the 2018 CV Show in Birmingham, England. Based on the latest multi-award-winning Fiesta passenger car, the all-new Fiesta Sport Van is said to provide a stylish, compact and economical vehicle for businesses of all sizes. The new model, in an eye-catching Sport series, is powered by either a 1,0-litre EcoBoost or 1,5-litre TDCi diesel engine. Inside the three-door body, there is […]
In a move that many say will not achieve anything, hydrogen truck start-up Nikola is suing Tesla Motors for US$ 2 billion (R25,5 billion) saying the electric car maker copied its patents when designing its electric semi. Nikola first showed its semi, the Nikola One, back in 2016. Now it is saying that Tesla copied its design and does not have patents. “The Tesla Semi design is substantially similar to Nikola’s unique design, and Tesla copied Nikola’s patents,” an Arizona […]
In a move destined to grow global sales, Iveco has launched the Stralis NP 400 in Japan. It is the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) truck to be sold in this market. The company showed the Stralis NP 400 and the Daily Blue Power family at the Japan Truck Show, from May 10 to 12. The Stralis NP 400 is the first truck that runs on natural gas that has been designed specifically for long-distance transport, and can run on LNG, […]
Scania is performing extremely well. In fact, its net sales rose to a record SEK 31.1 billion (R45,4 billion) and earnings in the first quarter amounted to SEK 3,315 million (R4,84 million), which yielded an operating margin of 10,7 percent. Not too shabby! According to Henrik Henriksson, the company’s president and CEO, higher vehicle and service volume contributed positively, while a less favourable market mix, higher production costs for running double product ranges and continued constraints in the supply chain […]
One cannot help but admire the Haval brand. When parent company GWM South Africa launched the brand little over a year ago, it certainly looked promising. After all, Haval is China’s best-selling SUV brand and the GWM brand had already built a solid reputation for itself on local soil in the ten years prior. (Today, GWM remains active in the bakkie segment of the market, while Haval is now the name associated with the company’s passenger cars.) My first taste […]
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