Latest commercial vehicles news and analysis articles 
Vehicles, such as trucks and buses, used for the commercial transportation of goods and/or people
SWEDEN: Volvo truck sales up 27% in December; 53% for year
3 February 2012
Volvo Trucks’ December deliveries increased 27% year-on-year to 11,882 trucks. For the full year 2011, deliveries rose 53% to 115,346 trucks.
PRODUCT EYE: Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.
1 February 2012
White Van Man might well be in danger of losing his innate haste and stress, should he get behind the wheel of the new EV version of Renault's Kangoo van.
GERMANY: VW Transporter SKD assembly in Indonesia begins
31 January 2012
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has begun assembly of the T5 Transporter from SKD kits through local importer Garuda Mataram Motor.
INDIA: Scania invests in India
31 January 2012
Scania has said that it is planning to invest about SEK200m in an industrial facility in Bangalore during the coming year.
ITALY: Fiat haemorrhaging 4,000 cars a day as truck blockade continues to bite
27 January 2012
Fiat says it is losing production of more than 4,000 vehicles per day as Italy's devastating industrial action by truck drivers continues to choke the country's supply lines.
ITALY: Fiat helpless as huge strike cripples factories
25 January 2012
Four Fiat plants in Italy could remain shut until Friday (25 January) as massive motorway blockades by lorry drivers continue to wreak havoc with component delivery.
RUSSIA: MAN Trucks & Bus to open first plant this year
25 January 2012
MAN Trucks & Bus, part of MAN Group, plans to open its first, EUR25m plant in Russia in 2012, Colliers International, the firm’s consultant, said on Wednesday.
UK: just-auto surveys the global auto industry
24 January 2012
just-auto has launched its latest annual survey of the auto industry to identify key trends and forecasts for the year ahead.
TURKEY: Ford to start Transit sales in second half
24 January 2012
Ford Otomotiv Sanayi, owned by Ford Motor and Koc Holding, will start selling Transit vans in the second half of this year, after the model at the Geneva motor show in March, Hurriyet reported.
GERMANY: Mercedes to sell 2.7m cars by 2020
20 January 2012
Daimler plans to more than double output of Mercedes-Benz vehicles to 2.7m by 2020 in its drive to become the world's largest premium car maker, a German business magazine reported.
CHINA: Ford eyes stronger ties with Jiangling Motors
18 January 2012
Ford's Chinese unit hopes to further its ties with commercial vehicle maker Jiangling Motors Group as the company plans on increasing its presence in the market, CEO and chairman David Schoch was quoted as saying by Economic Observer News.
MONTREAL SHOW: Global debut for Nissan NV 12-seater
17 January 2012
A 12 seater version of Nissan's US-built NV van has premiered at the Montréal auto show. This new giant is a challenger for the aged Ford Econoline/E-Series van, as well as GM's equally elderly Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana twins.
CHINA: Scania delivers 375 trucks to Zoomlion
17 January 2012
Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology has ordered 375 trucks from Scania which will be used as a platform for mobile concrete pumps. The deliveries will occur in April.
GERMANY/SWEDEN: MAN, Scania, still pursuing synergies
13 January 2012
MAN and Scania are still seeking closer ties and deny a report saying plans had been dropped through a lack of progress.
ANALYSIS: Class 8 truck sales suggest US boom ahead?
12 January 2012
Back in 2007, I remember reading the thoughts of some who saw an economic collapse for the US in 2008. One of the theories was that freight trends and Class 8 heavy truck sales indicate what's 10-12 months away. In December 2011, Class 8 sales surged.
NEW DELHI SHOW: Daimler unit launches BharatBenz trucks
4 January 2012
Daimler Truck’s subsidiary Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has launched its new BharatBenz brand heavy duty truck.
December 2011 management briefing: Review of 2011 (part 2)
23 December 2011
Like any year in the auto industry, 2011 saw its fair share of company ups and downs, industrial comings and goings, and a fair old sprinkling of corporate drama. Added to the mix this year were devastating natural disasters. We covered it all on just-auto. Editor Dave Leggett sifts through the lot and picks out a few highlights from the year just gone, month by month. Part two covers the second half of the year.
CHINA: SKF signs heavy truck supply deal
21 December 2011
SKF has signed a US$752m deal with China’s China National Heavy Duty Truck Group as the bearings maker looks to expand in the fast-growing markets.
December 2011 management briefing: Review of 2011 (part 1)
20 December 2011
Like any year in the auto industry, 2011 saw its fair share of company ups and downs, industrial comings and goings, and a fair old sprinkling of corporate drama. Added to the mix this year were devastating natural disasters. We covered it all on just-auto. Editor Dave Leggett sifts through the lot and picks out a few highlights from the year just gone, month by month. Part one covers the first half of the year.
THAILAND: AB Volvo takes control of UD Trucks in Thailand
19 December 2011
AB Volvo has formally taken over UD Truck’s operations in Thailand after settling a two-year dispute with Hong Kong-listed Tan Chong International.
FRIDAY STORY: New London Routemaster finally takes a bow
16 December 2011
Following the catastrophic failure of London's notorious 'bendy-buses,' that were possibly the most unpopular addition to the capital since pigeons, Mayor Boris Johnson looks like he is delivering on a long-touted promise to bring back his version of the much-loved Routemaster.
INDIA: Mahindra Navistar expects cash break-even soon
12 December 2011
Mahindra Navistar announced that they expect cash break-even a year after entry into the Indian heavy-duty trucks market.
COLOMBIA: Volvo Bus inks largest ever bus deal
9 December 2011
Volvo Bus Latin America has concluded its largest ever deal in Colombia by selling 688 bus chassis to the country's capital, Bogotá.
BRAZIL: Volvo Truck adds engines, gearbox
8 December 2011
Volvo do Brasil has started production of I-Shift gearboxes at its plant in Curitiba, Brazil. It will also start local production of 11-litre engines.
SWEDEN: Renault Trucks to reduce output
8 December 2011
Volvo Trucks is to cut output at its Renault Trucks (RT) division in response to slowing demand in Europe.
INDIA: Hyundai to introduce commercial vehicles
2 December 2011
Hyundai Motor plans to introduce commercial vehicles in India.
GERMANY: Daimler updates ESP for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
2 December 2011
The introduction of an extended ESP package for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from January 2012 will improve brake performance in critical situations and enhance the safety of passengers and other road users, Daimler said.
US: American Axle expands JAC JV in China
1 December 2011
American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (AAM) is expanding its existing joint venture with Hefei Automobile Axle (HAAC), a subsidiary of JAC Group (Anhui Jianghuai Automotive Group) to now include all of HAAC's light commercial axle business.
NIGERIA: Comatose bus plant set to be aroused
29 November 2011
VON Automobiles Nigeria says it will roll-out the first batch of locally-built Ashok Leyland commuter buses in December.
JAPAN: Mitsubishi launching EV mini-van
25 November 2011
Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) will launch its new Minicab-MiEV minicar-class commercial electric vehicle (EV) in Japan on 8 December, its second EV model after the recently updated Mi-EV city car.
