HOLEY GALLARDO! IS THAT CHRIS BROWN OR MAD MAX?

We don’t normally publish such things but today seems kind of a fun day, so we will. This is Mr Chris Brown, singer and lately actor, and the man who beat up ex-girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna to a pulp just over a year ago. He’s just come out of a Lamborghini Gallardo and is going to his local gym.




Mind you, this is not the same Gallardo he was driving at the time of the assault. I guess he has a penchant for these exotics. Not that this is the best-looking one out there, being a Lambo and all. Just check out all the tattoos on the bodywork matching the owner’s. Or are they bullet holes? Actually, it looks like something out of a Mad Max nightmare. I wonder if he used to drive it around while he served his community service.


PICTURES COURTESY OF BAUER GRIFFIN

ANDERSON TUNES FERRARI 599 GTB FIORANO

German car tuner Anderson has done a bit of work on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Not only is the car now looking much angrier than ever, but it’s got just a bit more vuma on the go. The same engine has been kept and no turbos are used for the programme.




Hamann provided the sports exhaust system which freed up an extra 22kW of power to add to the existing 462kW. So in total there’s now 484kW on tap and 608Nm of torque. Anderson claims the car will dash from 0 – 100km/h in 3.7 seconds.


As for the body kit, you can see that things are not the same anymore at all. 

CHEVROLET MI-RAY CONCEPT WOWS SEOUL

The 2011 Seoul Motor Show is now on and General Motors is out in full force to gain some public support for its future programmes. One of these could be the Chevrolet Mi-ray sports car concept with the blood of electric pulses. It was created to celebrate 100 years of Chevrolet.




Instead of being a full-on electric vehicle, the Mi-ray uses both electric power and fossil fuel to push it forward. A 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine is mounted mid-rear to improve handling and promote performance stability. At the same time two electric motors placed upfront produce 30kW in total. A double-clutch gearbox is fitted.


The interior is said to draw inspiration from the world of fighter jets, including the power start button which it located at the centre of things. Rear view mirrors have been replaced by retractable cameras which extend from the side glass. There’s also a forward-looking camera working with the sat nav system to relay information in real-time through video.

FACELIFT JAGUAR XF TO FEATURE NEW 450NM DIESEL

Jaguar is releasing a new facelift XF sedan at the 2011 New York Auto Show on the 22^nd of April. These camouflaged pictures are actually official images from Jaguar themselves, a sort of leap over the auto spy industry if you will. To come with the car is a new turbo diesel engine with severe thrust issues down under…




The engine is a 2.2-litre four-cylinder motor making 140kW of power and 450Nm of push. A new 8-speed automatic gearbox runs things, sending power to the rear wheels. Another new feature is the stop-start fuel saving system that reduces the lag time between stops and restarts.


Jaguar says the car will accelerate from 0 – 100km/h in 8.5 seconds and stop accelerating at 225km/h. Average fuel usage is said to be 5.4 litres per 100km, with C02 emissions pegged at 149 g/km.


While Jag is clearly not keen on showing us where the major changes have occurred, we expect a more XJ look for the front end with LED daytime running lights, new bumper, new headlights and a sportier front grille. The rear end should have redesigned lights and other small changes. 

CHEVROLET UPDATES LUMINA SS RANGE

General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has introduced some subtle changes to the iconic Chevrolet Lumina SS sedan and Ute for 2011. The changes include upgrades to the vehicle’s specification and changes to the exterior and interior styling of both vehicles.


The front of the Lumina features a revised bumper and air dam as well as new styling treatments for the fog lights and headlamps. A chrome strip is added to the boot lid just above the number plate on the sedan while the rear tailgate moulding on the Ute is now finished in body colour. The design of the massive 18 inch diameter alloy rims has also been refreshed. The tyre specification remains unchanged at 245/45 R18. 

A more subtle change is the addition of a V to the nomenclature changing the model designation from SS to SSV to bring the South African models in line with naming of other V series vehicles in the Lumina range.

Significant revisions have been made to the instrument cluster and the centre console of the Lumina.  The audio system has been upgraded to include a USB socket and advanced Bluetooth functionality – including mobile phone connectivity. The system features satellite controls on the steering wheel and touchscreen controls via the audio display screen.

Chevrolet have added roof airbags to the Lumina Ute which earned it a maximum five star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) making it the safest LCV in the country. The addition of the roof air bags to the ute brings it in line with the safety features found in the Lumina sedan with six airbags now standard on both.

The Lumina’s 6-litre V8 all aluminium engine remains unchanged with a maximum of 270kW and a massive 530Nm of torque driving the rear wheels via either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The Lumina SS sedan and Ute come standard with high levels of spec which includes: Leather seats; dual zone climate control air conditioning; power windows and side mirrors; sports contoured seats with 4-way electronic adjustment and lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat; and sports alloy pedals. A driver information centre in the instrument cluster provides trip, vehicle and audio information.

Safety features include a six-airbag system, including roof airbags, on both the sedan and the Ute as well as ABS braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Electronic Stability Programme (ESP). Traction control and cruise control are fitted across the range. Handling is enhanced by the advanced linear control suspension system.

Central locking with auto-lock is a standard feature as is an alarm immobiliser system. The alarm system includes a panic alarm.





Lumina Pricing
SS sedan manual (R444 390)
SS sedan auto (R441 930)
SS Ute manual (R413 700)
SS Ute auto (R413 700)

FIVE MILLION AUDI A4S BUILT SO FAR

Audi got into the now-famous 3-way scrap back in 1994 when it produced its first A4 sedan. Today the five-millionth A4 left Audi’s Ingolstadt factory to register a major milestone for the company. It was a red Avant 3.0-litre TDI quattro. The current A4 is the fourth-generation model (internally codenamed B8) and often outsells its major rivals in many countries around the world.




Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production at Audi, was beside himself when he spoke of the milestone.


“This is another major milestone in Audi’s history,” he said. “All versions of the A4 are efficient, elegant and enjoy outstanding success in their class. Our highly motivated team and our effective Audi production system will keep this model on course for continued success in the future.”


A facelift model is set to go public within the next 6 months.

Thermal Cameras in Luxury Cars

Infrared thermal cameras are able to detect radiation in the infrared range of an electromagnetic spectrum. Thermal cameras provide visibility solutions in an otherwise un-illuminated environment by tracking variations in temperature. Warm objects stand out against cooler backgrounds when viewed through an infrared thermal camera. Technological developments have now allowed its applications in luxury cars, buses, and trucks as night vision systems.



Statistics show that the majority of fatal accidents happen at night. The risk of driving at night is two times higher than driving in the daytime. Limited lighting conditions on expressways and highways, judgment errors of speed or distance, and driving into headlights of oncoming traffic all pose threats to drivers. Infrared thermal cameras equip drivers with a clearer vision on dark and unlit roads. These night vision systems rely on either of the two technologies that are currently available in the market. Near-infrared (NIR)
radiation, also known as active infrared, works through infrared headlights that illuminate the road ahead, enabling drivers to see converted images of people or animals that are displayed on the screen more clearly. Far-infrared (FIR) systems register the difference in heat or infrared radiation emitted by the objects and do not require any independent source of light from the vehicle.
Thermal cameras have broader applications since drivers not only get the benefit of clearer night vision, but can also detect obstacles on the road, other cars, and sharp bends much sooner, giving them more reaction time.
Modern-day buses and trucks have also become luxury vehicles considering the huge investments in maintaining and protecting them. Such large vehicles in accidents can cause serious damage. Not only does this lead to ruined vehicles, but also to loss of expensive cargo, increased environmental risks in case of hazardous goods, and, most importantly, loss of lives. The ever-increasing demand for infrared thermal cameras for such lateral applications has resulted in effectively bringing down the costs of equipment.
Technological advances in this field now enable integration of real-world images with thermal ones. Newer models such as the TI 45 thermal cameras amalgamate two images to form a picture-in-picture output. The implementation of this can exponentially benefit a driver. The TI 45 also allows users to set alarm limits over the visible light image to identify objects exceeding temperature limits. Thermal cameras such as this also find extensive applications in military and industrial set-ups.

Ford the brand of quality and power

The global field of automobile is were the world has witnessed a wide variety of manufacturer of cars experiment with their ideas and sketches of a even more futuristic car that can win over the hearts of all potential car buyers but there was not only the question of looks it was clubbed with comfort , safety and luxury all put together to create the perfect machine the perfect car for the general public to be admired and loved and to be sold every were it saw the market . The automobile market has had a very long history of different inventors trying to give shape to the car that we see today .

Some of them had achieved a remarkable success in their work that could have changed the crises of energy the need for fuel as they did run on steam or at times operated on batteries but they were no match to the diesel or petrol engine that was much faster and more powerful in comparison to the these engine variants and this resulted in the successful beginning of the era of automobiles that operated on the fuel .
The Ford was one of the first very few companies to start with the mass production of cars but it soon realized that the pricing did not allow the common man to buy so it worked on its model that successfully later launched the T-Model that became a legendary car noted in the pages of history to be the first people's car ever to be built and the first model to sell one of the highest units at the time .
And the now the modern day Ford has been fast changing with the changing time to be one of the leaders in the market of automobile industry . In India the Ford has kept up the smiles of many happy buyers with its new and well equipped models of car .
The ford fiesta diesel is one car that is in particular making deep in roads to make all its customers very happy with a combination of amazing looks it has a powerful engine but the main sector of interest is the amazing millage it offers and it is clubbed with a diesel engine then the millage problem is sure to be answered . The ford fusion is the other car which is very new on its concept and is very appealing to the Indian market and buyers .

Are Auto Insurance Discounts Applicable For New Cheap Car

Anyone who is planning to have a new cheap car for himself must get the automobile insured to avoid any loss. Though many people never understand the real importance of insurance, yet it plays a vital part in saving the invested amount on automobile. Moreover, one will have to lose his license in case he/she is found driving a vehicle without insurance and vehicle registration may also be canceled.

Various automobiles with good discounts on insurance are available online today. All you need is to check out the best suited one for your vehicle. Take benefit of any new car discounts and you will eventually cut the premium costs of insurances to a great extent.
You’ll get hold of a lot of cheap auto insurance policy with just little effort from your end. They are affordable and come up with a lot of discount schemes now and then.
There are a number of ways through which the insurers discount the price of policies. Try to get the most of the discounts available in the market. The most common discount that is often given by many car loan lenders is the common auto insurance discounts. Cheap New Car insurance for new vehicles are available with various discount schemes, such as good driver and good student discount, and so on. But there are a lot other discounts that a driver may not yet be receiving, but is certainly eligible for. See below about related discounts.
Factors Responsible For Auto Insurance Discount
· Good drivers or students’ get insurance discount
· Comforts/model of vehicle affects the insurance discount. For example, if the car has airbags, then the cost of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) will be lower than other cars.
· Safety rankings matter for insurance discounts
· Theft rate and accident frequency of vehicles matter a lot for insurance discounts
· Miscellaneous factors such as certain types of employment, non- smoker, member of an auto club, etc., also play a vital role in providing insurance discounts.
For best deals with great new car discounts, apply with us. Click here now!

So you are planning to buy a car? Then you must think about its insurance as well. Go for instant online car insurance as it comes with a lot of benefits and discounts. Visit various lending websites and check the types of discount they are offering on the different vehicle insurance. Check what suits you best and just go for it! It is better to be late than never. In case you’ve still not gone for auto insurance, go for it now.

Car Title Loans — A Brief Overview

During financial difficulties, people are able to gather important ways to solve their problems. They may resort to banks, mortgages or credit cards. Others, on the other hand, would opt for the faster solutions such as pawnshops, payday loans and car title loans. Of these alternatives, car title loans have become currently popular. Simpler and quicker solutions to their financial problems are what people are looking for. With such loans, they do get to have the opportunity to address these needs and problems at the quickest way possible.




Car title loans as you may have already known are also known as auto title loans. These loans are secured. You are required to pledge your car’s title as security for you loan. The money to be obtained by the borrower will depend on the value of the car. In other words, this loan is put up against your car. Although you get to surrender the title of your car, it is not required that you surrender the car itself to the lender. The car will still remain in your possession unless you default from payment.

There are several requirements which you need to submit before your loan can be approved. Some of the requirements include: (1) the title certificate of your car, (2) a valid driver’s license, (3) social security identification card or other government issued cards, (4) proof of residency, (5) at least 3 references, and (6) checking account detail. In addition to this, some lending firms would require you to turn o
ver a copy of your car key. You also need to be at least 18 years old to qualify for the loan. Credit history is also not an issue in loan approvals. Since credit history is not a requirement, people who have bad credit or no credit history can be instantly approved. This will not prejudice people who have good credit either. Car title loans are open to good, bad or no credit holders. This has also been a way for some people to build or improve their credit.

Aside from easy application, car title loans offer fast approvals. Approval of loans can be done within 24 to 48 hours. There are times that you can get your loans approve in 30 minutes to an hour. It seems like these loans are really made for emergency situations. Approvals would not only mean that your loan is good to go but also that you can already get your money or receive it at once. You can even pay your bills before the deadline. This fast approval has made it possible for people to pay the things they need to pay in a day and meet their needs on that same day.

These are just some of the important things you need to know about car title loans—what it is, how it works and how much it has helped people for years. There is no doubt that such loans will gain more popularity in the near future than it already has.

Spies Honda Confident End Domination

Ben Spies has a target in the Spanish MotoGP. Yamaha Racing's brand-new rider wants to end the domination of Repsol Honda motorcycle at the Jerez circuit.

Actually, the appearance of Spies in the opening MotoGP race in 2011 was not too disappointing. Former Tech 3 Yamaha Monster star is able to finish in sixth. However, Spies fallen far behind the Honda duo, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

"I do not know what Honda are doing, but obviously the quality of the motor is very different and Stoner has been proved in Losail Circuit," said Spies respond Repsol Honda motor skills.

But Spies very confident, with the development of the YZR-M1 motor which began to improve, former World Superbike champion, the optimistic Yamaha Racing can compete with the RC212V at Jerez circuit, next weekend.

"Honda is very fast, but Lorenzo was able to destroy them last year and I hope we can do it again this year,"continued the American racer was reported by MCN, Wednesday (03/30/2011).

"Honda is like this now dominate, and they've done a good job. But we do not need to panic, we are aware of motor capacity can be increased. We believe it will happen,"

www.okezone.com

Lorenzo Sure Stop Honda at Jerez

MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo, sure can stop the domination of Honda in the Spanish GP at Jerez this weekend. Moreover, the circuit has become one of his favorite tracks.


 

This Yamaha rider in the series appear quite impressive MotoGP debut in 2011 in Qatar, two weeks ago. After passing through tight battle, a former two-time world champion beat the 250cc class was Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa for second on the podium. In fact, during pre-season test, the Spanish rider is quite difficult to stop the domination of Honda.

In addition, Lorenzo is also reminded of the memories of last season where Jerez became a turning point in his struggle to become world champion. On this circuit he won at once took over the leadership of the standings and was never overtaken again.

"I'm ready to go back to Jerez," said Lorenzo. "We started this competition with well in Qatar and I am sure this is a good moment to race for people here in Spain.

"Last year the situation is somewhat similar and probably my best win during his career, close up large gaps in the last few laps. We can not make predictions for Sunday, but kruku and I will work hard to be in front.

"Jerez is a special place for me, probably the best tracks in the world. When I was 15 years old, just a day after my birthday, I was racing for the first time in front of 100,000 people here."

www.kompas.com

LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2 CELEBRATES 250 000TH MILESTONE

Land Rover employees at the Company's Halewood manufacturing plant in Merseyside in the UK, are celebrating an important milestone achievement – the production of the 250,000th Freelander 2.


Production began in 2007 and the plant's 250,000th Freelander 2 – a 2.2 litre TD4 Diesel GS in Fuji White – was driven off the line on 28th March 2011. The vehicle is destined for a customer who lives in Scotland. 

Land Rover is also celebrating a growing demand for Halewood's award winning model as retail sales for the popular model are up 22% year to date (Apr 2010 – Feb 2011) compared with the same 11 month period in 2009/2010.

Halewood Operations Director Richard Else, commented: "This milestone achievement and the increasing sales for Freelander 2 highlight just how important this vehicle is, not just to Halewood but also for the regional and UK economy – around 70% of Freelanders produced at Halewood are exported overseas. I'd like to thank our flexible and highly skilled workforce and congratulate the Halewood team on this superb achievement."

BMW SOUTH AFRICA CONFIRMS NEW 1 SERIES, HYBRID 5 AND i3 FOR LOCALS

Great news for BMW fans. The company has confirmed that a brand new shape 1 Series hatch is coming to South Africa before the year is over. Additionally a 5 Series Hybrid will make its way to the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) happening at NASREC in October. More still, the upcoming full-electric i3 is headed our way, but not before 2015.




Details regarding the 1 Series – internally codenamed F20 – are being closely guarded. However, we know one or two things. One, the range will feature an all-turbo engine lineup. We speculate that it will consist of a 1.6-litre turbo, 2.0-litre turbo and two turbo diesels, including a 2.0-litre. There should be something smaller than a 1.6 as well. The bigger 2.0-litre turbo will even make 180kW in the 128i as it does in the X1 xDrive28i.


The other thing we know is that it will eventually come in five body styles; 5-door hatch first, then 3-door, a convertible, coupe and a sedan model. In fact, the current coupe which BMW launched in Soweto, is being facelifted in 2011. The same will be done for the Convertible.


More news on the blue and white propeller is that a new 5 Series ActiveHybrid model will debut at the 2011 JIMS, probably alongside the new M5, start selling in early 2012. The hybrid (running on both electricity and petrol) is expected to use a similar setup to the 7 and X6 hybrids. It should make a total system output of between 335kW and 358kW. A second BMW hybrid, probably a 3er, will join it at a later stage.


Lastly but not least, the upcoming i3 all-electric small car is a go for Mzansi. BMW says it will be here sometime in or after 2015. The i3 is all carbon fibre in terms of body build and runs on electricity, which means it has no engine at all, but instead uses an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries for power.

AUDI TOPS ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE (4X4) SALES

Audi sold more vehicles with all-wheel-drive (AWD) than any other premium manufacturer. The brand with the four rings produced 437 792 vehicles with quattro drive last year. In the year in which Audi celebrated “30 years of quattro,” around 38% of all cars produced worldwide were equipped with the all-wheel-drive technology. With 74 262 new car registrations for all-wheel drive models, Audi also topped the competition in Germany.




The most popular Audi model with quattro drive in 2010 was the Audi Q5, 155 025 units of which were built. In the months ahead, the brand will further expand its AWD lineup in the SUV segment with the Audi Q5 hybrid quattro and the compact Q3. But it is not just SUV drivers who are turning to quattro; the all-wheel drive technology is a popular choice of Audi customers for all other model lines as well.


From the Audi A3 to the A8, nearly one quarter of the automobiles produced in 2010 had quattro on board. “quattro is one of the Audi brand’s greatest success stories, and today we are writing what may well be its most exciting chapter,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “As we move down the road toward electric mobility, we see entirely new possibilities for Quattro technology. The electric quattro of the future will be even more agile, safer and – above all – more efficient,” adds Schwarzenbauer.


Audi customers today can choose from more than 130 quattro model variants (much fewer in South Africa), taking all the different body types, engine versions and transmission options into account. Audi thus offers by far the widest range of all-wheel drive models in the premium segment.

430KW PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO S FOR CHINA?

We knew it would eventually come but we didn’t think it would be this soon. But now a rumour says Porsche will introduce a Panamera Turbo S at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show (Auto Shanghai) in China next month. It will feature a petrol engine with more power than any other in the lineup.




Currently the fastest, most powerful Panamera is the Turbo version which has 368kW and can run from 0 – 100km/h in an incredible 3.9 seconds. The Turbo S would use the same 4.8-litre V8 turbo engine to make about 430kW and probably be capable of going from 0 – 100km/h in 3.5 seconds! It would be the fastest accelerating car of its segment and cost just under R2 million in South Africa.

BAFANA HERO KATLEGO MPHELA CAUGHT DRUNK DRIVING

Reports by Eye Witness News (EWN) state that Mamelodi Sundowns and South African football star Katlego Mphela was nabbed for drunk driving over the weekend. Mphela, nicknamed Killer by his fans, scored the only goal during Bafana Bafana’s win over Egypt on Saturday night. Obviously he then went out to celebrate with his mates and was caught by traffic police near Sandton the following day (Monday). He was held at the police station for four hours and released on R1 000 bail.




Mphela scored the goal which kept Bafana on top of Group G for the next Africa National Cup qualifier during an intense match against the Pharahos. It was his first since being dropped by coach Pitso Mosimane two games ago for dissent against his club Sundowns. Since then he has reconciled with the Brazilians and has become one of the top goal scorers in the PSL.


PICTURE COURTESY OF SUPERSPORT

TOYOTA FT-86: NEW PICTURES EMERGE

We have some new pictures of the Toyota FT-86 Concept car that was jointly developed with Subaru. The two-door coupe will have a twin badged as a Subaru when it goes on sale this year. But of course, the two will not look the same on the outside.




These pictures were taken during an official photo shoot for promotional purposes. Unfortunately Toyota doesn’t yet trust anyone with its interior look, hence the absence of pics showing its inside. And the only things we know for sure are that it will feature a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which might go over the 180kW mark and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

BMW, TOYOTA, CITROEN AND PEUGEOT LEAD C02 RACE

Three automakers, BMW, PSA (Citroen and Peugeot) and Toyota, are in the top three of auto companies who are closest to complying with tough upcoming legislation on exhaust pipe C02 emissions. The three are ranked by market research company JATO Dynamics as having the shortest drive towards their goals. Over the coming years motor manufacturers will be heavily penalised for not complying with this European legislation.




The continent’s law states that by 2015 all industry players in Europe should average 130 grams per kilometre, significantly lower than the 140.9 g/km reported in 2010. An even more challenging figure of 95 g/km is being legislated to come into effect in 2020. Failure to do so will result in fines being dished out to the tune of €5 per vehicle for the first g/km of CO2, €15 for the second gram, €25 for the third gram and €95 from the fourth gram on.


Last year Toyota averaged 130 g/km for new vehicles in Europe. Its 2015 target is 124.8 g/km, which means it needs to reduce gases by 4.2%. PSA must work on a 5.1% reduction, while BMW must cut its new fleet’s C02s by 7.1%.


The three lowest-ranking companies are Nissan, Mazda and Daimler respectively, meaning they will have to take some drastic steps in order to catch up to their peers. Nissan and Mazda need to reduce bad gasses by 17.6% from 2010 averages of 147.8 and 149.9 g/km respectively, while Daimler has the largest gap to cover in the form of a 19.8% reduction from its 2010 levels of 163.3 g/km.

Monday Thoughts

Let's start with my pet peeve......don't people realize that daytime running lights don't operate their tail lights?? Too many times I have driven behind a car at night with no back lights  -  even pulled along side one at a light to tell them and they looked at me like my spaceship had just landed!

Some interesting US figures from Automotive News courtesy of Car & Driver........
- in 2010 Smart cars' sales dropped 59%! What does that tell us?
- the Prius outsold the Honda Insight by 6.7 times  -  nobody knows Honda sells hybrids?
- the BMW 7 series ($100,000+) outsold the Mitsubishi Gallant ($22,000+)  -  probably similar in Canada when the Gallant was last sold here in 2010.
- Mazda sold about 6370 Miatas, about the number of Camaros sold in December

Great end to the Nascar race in California yesterday with 2 passes for the lead in the last two laps. F1 had a typical race - watch the first few laps and know how the race would end.
Until next time......

DAIMLER TRUCKS DOMINATE WORLD STAGE

The global economy recovered in 2010, although the pace of this positive development varied greatly from region to region. The economic upturn led to a significant increase in demand for transport services, and thus for commercial vehicles. Whereas the European truck market grew moderately in 2010, the truck market in Brazil expanded by more than 50% compared to the prior year.
Demand for trucks in North America and Japan increased substantially. Daimler Trucks profited considerably from the worldwide recovery of the commercial vehicle market in 2010. Daimler Trucks sold 355 263 vehicles around the world in 2010, an increase of 37% on the prior year.



These sales generated revenues of €24.024 billion – R232 billion - (+31%) for the division, enabling it to successfully defend its position as the world’s leading manufacturer of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. At €1.323 billion (R12.78 billion), the division’s EBIT (including one-time charges) was positive and significantly higher than the prior year’s figure of €1.001 billion (R9.67 billion).


Andreas Renschler, the member of the Daimler AG Board of Management responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, reviewed business developments at Daimler Trucks today in Stuttgart, in addition to presenting the division’s strategy for the coming years: “When the economy grows, the need for transport services grows along with it. We are among the top three manufacturers in terms of market share in all of our core markets, and all of our business units have returned to profitability.”


The Global Excellence strategy enabled Daimler Trucks to prepare early on for the cyclical changes in the commercial vehicle industry and thus to conquer from the crisis in good shape.


Growth will pick up in 2011. The global truck markets are growing, and Daimler Trucks’ Global Excellence strategy has laid the foundations for the division’s growth in the years ahead.
Last year the focus remained on managing market cycles and achieving operational excellence. Efficiency gains were achieved through more rigorous cost management, implementation of numerous flexibility instruments at production locations, and extensive programs at the individual business units.


As a result, all operating units recorded increases in sales, revenues, and profitability. Daimler Trucks therefore begins the new business year in a completely new position of competitive strength.
From 2011 onward: Regional growth with a focus on emerging markets


The focus in 2011 and beyond will be on profitable growth in all of its dimensions — i.e. quantitative and qualitative, in traditional and new markets, and with new products and services.


Along with the consistent expansion of its activities in the core markets, Daimler Trucks is also making significant progress in the RIC countries and other growth markets. “Turkey is a core market for Mercedes-Benz trucks and a true tiger nation,” said Renschler. “The country has already reached 15th place in the rankings of the world’s largest economies, and for us it’s number three in terms of Mercedes-Benz truck sales.”


Brazil is the most important market for Mercedes-Benz trucks. In an effort to meet the growing demand for heavy-duty long-haul trucks in both markets, Mercedes-Benz began producing the Actros in Aksaray, Turkey, in December 2010, and will also start building the same model in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, in 2012. This expansion of the production network will increase the flexibility and competitiveness of Mercedes-Benz trucks.


Russia is the biggest growth market in Europe at the moment — and Fuso Kamaz Trucks Rus has been successfully manufacturing and marketing the Fuso Canter there since June 2010. Roughly 800 of these light trucks were sold in Russia last year. In addition, Mercedes-Benz Trucks Vostok officially opened a new plant in Chelny in mid-March 2011, and the first Mercedes-Benz Actros models are now being assembled there.


In February 2011, Daimler Trucks’ fifth brand — BharatBenz — was unveiled in India. Over the next five years Daimler Trucks will invest a total of approximately €700 million (R6.76 billion) in India, where the division will also begin manufacturing trucks of 6–49 tons GVW at the new plant in Chennai in 2012.


A major milestone was achieved in China last year, when a new joint venture agreement was signed with Foton. “We’re very confident that we will receive the business license for the joint venture in summer 2011,” said Renschler. “We’ve also got the right partner here with Foton, which is already building 100 000 trucks. A second plant is now under construction. This means that our joint venture will in the future have a total annual production capacity of 160 000 trucks.”


In addition to its operations in its traditional markets and in the RIC countries, Daimler Trucks is also focusing on the new growth markets of the future.


“We’ve identified ten Future Focus Markets for Daimler Trucks,” Renschler explained. We essentially based our selections on three criteria: overall economic outlook, local truck market volume, and initial business conditions in the respective markets.” The ten Future Focus Markets are: Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Malaysia, South Korea, Syria, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Modular system ensures the right products for every market


Regardless of the prevailing economic situation, Daimler Trucks consistently invests in new products and research and development. In fact, the division will be renewing virtually its entire product portfolio over the next 24 months. The focus here will be on further improving fuel consumption, safety, and sustainability, as well as the expansion of aftersales operations and customer-oriented services.


Daimler Trucks’ global development network, as well as the division’s decades of experience with cross-brand projects, have led to the creation of a modular system that generates synergies while still enabling the development of products precisely tailored to specific customers and market requirements.


DTNA is presenting two new trucks this month: the Western Star 4700 and a new Freightliner truck for the vocational segment. In addition, the new Fuso Canter went on sale in the U.S. and Canada in mid-March.


Synergies are now being generated with powertrain components as well. The new generation of heavy-duty truck engines has streamlined the previous portfolio of four engine families produced at four plants down to just one family of engines manufactured at two locations. This Heavy Duty Engine Generation is now being used successfully at Fuso in Japan and at DTNA in the U.S. The European version of the Heavy Duty Engine Generation was presented yesterday at the Mercedes-Benz engine plant in Mannheim. This is the new Mercedes-Benz engine generation, which already meets the Euro 6 emission standard that is scheduled to go into effect in 2014.


Daimler Trucks has set itself the goal of achieving an 8% return on sales across the business cycle starting in 2013. Renschler explained how the division will get there: “We’ve established a clear roadmap in the form of our ‘Regional Champion Approach,’ reducing fixed costs and thus the break-even point, and substantially investing in new products and technologies.”


As part of the Regional Champion approach, all of the division’s business units plan to either defend or take over the top position in their respective markets.


In addition, systematic cost management measures, further improvements at all units, exploitation of synergy potentials, the launch of the new product generations, penetration into new growth markets, and continued success in traditional markets will all contribute to the achievement of Daimler Trucks’ goals.


“We are beginning the year 2011 from a position of strength,” said Renschler. “We expect to see significant growth in the truck market, especially for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. Our level of incoming contracts in Europe and North America is currently exceeding our expectations. And if this exceptionally positive trend continues, we may have to adjust our market forecast.”


Renschler added, “No other truck manufacturer today offers as broad-based a portfolio with customised products and technologies as Daimler does — and no other commercial vehicle producer has a global service network whose scope and density come close to ours. So who else but the inventor of the truck is better positioned to actively shape the future of the transport industry?”