Initially scheduled to begin Sept. 12, 2023, the auction of the federal program “Caminhos da Escola” was postponed indefinitely. A new date has not been set. The new stage, which provides for the purchase of 163,000 buses was eagerly awaited by chassis and body manufacturers, would have been delayed until 2024 because of the time needed for the production.
The reason is technical: according to the bidding notice published at the end of last month, important chassis manufacturers as Volvo and Merecedes would be excluded from the bidding process due to new certification demanded.
With a capacity of 53 passengers, Marcopolo’s model, the Audace Fuel Cell, is a road unit. The version of the product made in China that has been exhibited and already approved for Europe, carries the cylinders in the luggage rack. Kent Phang, the Sales Director of Allenbus, partner of Marcopolo on the FC vehicle, says there is also an option to place the hydrogen cylinders over the body. With four cylinders, the vehicle exceeds 500 kilometers, according to the company. With six cylinders it is possible to reach 900 kilometers.
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.
SUMMARY: In this article we provide a global overview on a regional basis of the medium and heavy commercial vehicle market (GVWR > 6 MT’s) along with current trends and OEM happenings in North America.
NORTH AMERICA. MHCV production in North America is expected to decline by 35% in 2020 compared to 2019. However, orders for class 8 trucks improved significantly in Q4 2020 as large fleets placed their orders for a 2021 build. This appears to signal an improvement in demand for 2021 as the market aligns itself with the expected freight level moving forward. The consumer segment was strong during the last half of the year and the industrial segment is now expected to improve, as well.
In November, Volkswagen’s TRATON group and Navistar announced a merger agreement in which TRATON will acquire all outstanding shares of Navistar. Previously, TRATON held 16.7% of Navistar’s common shares. The deal is valued at $3.7 billion and is expected to be finalized in mid-2021.
Navistar has been in collaboration with TRATON’s brand MAN for a number of years, primarily with regard to engine development. PSR believes additional engine offerings will be one of the primary goals to improve profitability and long-term market share improvement within the class 8 truck segment.
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
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.”
During the past few months, we have seen significant changes in the bus market in Europe and North America as operations convert from internal combustion engines to zero-emission buses.
In Europe, Scania and Volvo are moving from building complete buses to a chassis only build. The high cost of zero-emission buses and a competitive market are primary reasons for this. The expected growth of zero-emission buses is forcing the OEMs to better streamline operations, and we expect to see other large OEMs transition down this path.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 5th Annual TWF (Two Wheeler Forum) took place on Feb. 21 and 22, 2024, at the India International Convention & Expo Centre in Dwarka, New Delhi. Hosted in partnership with Trak N Tell, the event spotlighted aspects of the Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler industry, spanning both electric and internal combustion engines.
The landscape of electric vehicles (EVs) in India is undergoing a transformative shift, with the recent 2 wheeler, 3 wheeler, and EV show held in Delhi showcasing the industry’s dynamic evolution. Despite constituting less than 1% of total vehicle sales, the electric vehicle sector holds immense potential, and is projected to grow to over 5% in the years to come. Currently, the Indian roads host over 5 lakh electric 2 wheelers and a modest number of electric cars. However, the market’s growth trajectory remains subject to fluctuations, predominantly influenced by governmental incentives.
Natasa Mulahalilovic is PSR MarineLink Product Manager
Emiliano Marzoli is Senior Business Development Manager – Europe
Dalibor Sablic is Senior Business Development Manager – Europe
SUMMARY: The general mood at Boot 2020 this year was very positive. Most builders said they had a very successful nautical 2018/2019 year, and most said they are looking forward to a good year in 2020. The show drew 240,000 visitors who had an opportunity to meet 1,900 exhibitors from 71 countries.
The Sailing boats segment is coming back on track, motorboats of all sizes are doing well, the super yachts segment remains strong, and inflatable boats and tenders have gained in popularity. The optimistic view for 2020 is based on good year-end results, continuous investments in new technologies, materials, equipment, design and exciting new boat concepts.
Natasa Mulahalilovic
Modern designs, completely new looks, use of light and solid material, work on multi-functionality and openness of the boats is visible everywhere and in all segments. Boats are open more than ever, providing more space and light, and bringing riders closer to the water.
The environmental awareness is growing, and a new generation of boaters is looking for cleaner solutions, not just comfort. That’s why the sailing segment is gaining ground, electric boats are appealing to the general curiosity, and small and medium motorboats are more attractive than in last 10 years when the trend was towards bigger motor yachts and super yachts.
17 Halls of Boats, Boats and More Boats
Duesseldorf, Germany–The Power Systems Research (PSR) team spent several days exploring the 17 halls at this year’s Boot 2020 Show, reviewing products and talking with pleasure boat builders, traders and other industry professionals about the latest achievements, innovations and trends.
The 51st edition of Boot 2020, Europe’s largest boat show, wrapped up January 26, after drawing attendance of 240,000 for the nine-day event. People came mainly from Europe, but they came from all over the world, as well.
This forecast appeared in the September 2019 issue of Diesel Progress magazine.
SUMMARY. The underlying weak conditions in the global economic picture could put
pressure on the North American power generation industry for the remainder of
2019 and through most of 2020. We forecast little or no growth for the industry
through 2020.
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