Author:charleen-clarke
The 2018 IAA was all about e-mobility and saving the planet. However, not all the solutions presented at the fair are ideal for Africa. Does this mean that transporters on this continent can forget about going green? Most definitely not, says Pierre Lahutte, Iveco brand president, in an exclusive interview with CHARLEEN CLARKE Imagine Coca-Cola exhibiting at a trade fair, but there isnโt a drop of Coke to be found on the stand โ just water. Thatโs more or less […]
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 […]
Highway maintenance personnel take their lives into their own hands โ quite literally โ when working on German highways. As we all know, many highways in that country have no speed limit โ 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). […]
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 (youโll 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 6ร2 is being delivered to nine Austrian companies right now โ and itโs a truly spectacular vehicle. I drove […]
My dear friend, Jarlath Sweeney, editor-in-chief of Irelandโs Fleet Transportย magazine, brought this incredible vehicle to our attention. Sadly, itโs just a concept โ but isnโt it cool? Itโs 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 โProject Pโ, the Civic Type R Pickup Truck has been modified and developed from a standard road car to create […]
Regular readers of this column will recall that I visited ZF, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, last month in order to attend the companyโs Technology Day. We saw lots of amazing stuff โ but this really takes the cake, doesnโt it? This is the Rinspeed Snap mobility concept. It is made up of a โskateboardโ 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 […]
I have just returned from Berlin, where MAN gave journalists an exclusive preview into what the company has up its Bavarian sleeve for this yearโs 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 โ the German capitalโs new and as yet unfinished airport. Whatโs noteworthy about this airport? It has two things in abundance: lots of free space and lots of controversy. […]
If you donโt 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 โ in orange. Not only was the exterior orange, so, too, were the seats. My friends thought I had lost my mind. โHow can you possibly order an orange car? Have you gone mad?โ they enquired, weeping, wailing and shielding their eyesโฆ โYou will battle to sell it one […]
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 โฆ You can read more about my trip in my next Global Focus column. For […]
focusmagsa
