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.”

Read More»

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.    

Read the Article

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.

Read More»

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.

Read More»

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. 

Read More»

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.

Read More»

New Products at FENATRAN-Brazil

Scania displayed CNG trucks and biogas production systems at its booth as a clear bet on this technology growing against Diesel in Brazil. At FENATRAN, the 22nd International Road Cargo Transport Trade Show, it sold its first regular production R 410 fueled by CNG to RN Logistics. The truck will operate at the São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro route.

Scania Pushes First CNG Truck at FENATRAN

Read More»

Trouble in India’s Motown

This report first appeared in the September 2019 issue of PowerTALK.

The bad times in the India automobile market started with the slowdown in Q4 2018, triggered by the NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Companies) crisis. Since then it has been 10 consecutive months of hard times for almost all automobile segments. All the segments in the country, be it passenger cars or commercial vehicles, have registered a decline.

Read More»