Mercedes-Benz Focuses on Autonomous Driving Trucks

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Daimler has realigned the focus of Mercedes-Benz on autonomous driving. Instead of self-driving cars, trucks are now at the top of its priority list.

Dalibor Sablic
Dalibor Sablic

The German car maker initially planned to concentrate on autonomous cars, explained Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius in a conversation with journalists at the canceled Geneva Motor Show. The group believes that self-driving trucks are initially the more attractive area, says the Daimler boss, according to the news platform news.com.au.

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Foton To Produce Trucks in Brazil Again

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

Foton says it will start producing Trucks in Guaíba-RS, in the facility formerly designated for his own factory. However, the production will be handled by GEFCO under a manufacturing contract, with parts imported from China. Previously, Foton assembled its trucks at the Agrale plant, also in Rio Grande do Sul state, to meet commitments made under government incentive programs. The number of models built here is likely to increase during the year, but no details have been disclosed.

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

Source: Automotive Business     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: At the same time Foton works on local production, it is working on adding about 50 dealers from Ford Trucks, which closed its operations in Brazil, to eliminate one of the biggest gaps to increase sales. The other gaps, such as reliability perception and spare parts availability, will take longer to be addressed, but we can see growth in sales and production of the Chinese OEM in Brazil, given more positive market conditions. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director-Business Development SA

We Expect 2020 NA Overall OEM Production To Be Flat

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

SUMMARY.  The North American economy remained stable in 2019 and pure economic conditions as well as fundamentals in the region were favorable. Most industries performed very well, and the short-term outlook remains stable to flat for most market segments. However, we see many new developments that could suggest a shift in the trend.

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

Consumer confidence declined slightly in December, following a moderate increase in November.  The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index stood at 126.5 in December, 1.4 points higher than in September 2019. 

Per Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “While consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved, their expectations declined, driven primarily by a softening in their short-term outlook regarding jobs and financial prospects. While the economy hasn’t shown signs of further weakening, there is little to suggest that growth, and in particular consumer spending, will gain momentum in early 2020.”

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KAMAZ Patents Electric Truck Without Cab

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

This truck has a very unusual design. The database of Rospatent has shown drawings of a cabless truck with an electric motor. The patent owner is KAMAZ. The truck has a very unusual appearance because it doesn’t have a cabin – it’s a box on wheels with low clearance, and it features round head and rear lights, and a vent grid. No details are available about the motor, except that it’s electric.

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The truck looks somewhat like the Volvo Vera truck.

Last year, KAMAZ started testing a driverless truck developed for coal transportation in one of Kuzbass mines. It is equipped with cruise-control and a system for bypassing obstacles and making lane changes.    

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PSR Analysis: The future is next door. Of course, it’s a long way from the patent to the working vehicle, but the trend is clear. KAMAZ has concentrated technologies for creation of a driverless electric truck and has patented them. PSR

New India Budget Disappoints Auto Industry

This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.

Source: Business Today   Read The Article

Ritvik Kulkarni
Ritvik Kulkarni

PSR Analysis: The Indian Automotive Industry was largely left disappointed with the budget after no direct steps were taken to arrest the decline in automotive sales. Although keeping long term benefits in mind, the budget did introduce measures to boost the rural economy, which in turn will directly benefit the commercial vehicle industry which is an important driver for the economy.

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The Future of Diesel Engines in Metropolitan Areas

Introduction

Our team at Power Systems Research, as a lead global Market Intelligence Company and specialized in Propulsion Systems and Powertrain for Vehicles and Equipment, is frequently asked about the future of Diesel Engines.

It is impossible to provide a complete answer for this question due to the wide range of applications, as well as the excellent performance and versatility of Diesel Engines.

Thus, in this article we focus on the Diesel Engine application in Commercial Vehicles in metropolitan areas, and more specifically, in Urban Buses.

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2019 North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV)

Power Systems Research had a booth presence at the 2019 North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) show that took place at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 28-31, 2019.

The NACV featured a “Technology Showcase” where many of the leading OEMs and supply chain companies put their latest market introductions on display.  There were over 500 exhibitors at the show – assembled in both Exhibition Hall A and Exhibition Hall B of the World Congress Center. 

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VW Plans To Add €1 Billion for Electrics

Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle subsidiary Traton says its MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (VWCO) brands plans to invest more than one billion euros in e-mobility by 2025.

“Our goal is to become the leading provider of e-trucks and e-buses,” explained Traton CEO Andreas Renschler, mostly through research and development. Traton is developing a common modular electric powertrain to be used by all brands, much like Volkswagen’s MEB platform.

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