Saturday, July 29, 2006
The 1995 trucks - Evaluation
Business people checking out manufacturers' 1995 truck offerings are likely to find improved cabs and electronics, slightly higher prices--and waiting periods for some models.
Light-truck manufacturers say they've focused on larger and more comfortable cabs because customers want seating for more passengers and sometimes extra cargo space up front.
Medium-size trucks, many of which are used for pickup and delivery, are continuing a trend toward easier entry and exit for drivers as well as more comfortable cabs in many models.
Makers of heavy-duty trucks, faced with a high demand for sleeper cabs, are oneupping each other to outfit cabs on their long-haul models with home-away-fromhome furnishings to make them more driver-friendly.
Commercial users like larger cabs because they want a place to lock up valuable items and to protect cargo against high and low temperatures while operating the vehicle, says Alex Tsigdinos, manager of public relations for Jeep/truck platforms of the Chrysler Corp.
"A lot of commercial buyers-- construction, general industry, farmers, and ranchers--like the room for extra passengers," he says. "In addition, the small-business operator who needs a pickup truck for cargo-bed capacity often uses the same vehicle for business and personal use."
Cabs of heavy-duty trucks are also getting spruced up to make them more comfortable for drivers on long trips-- with features such as increased stand-up room, better suspension systems, and amenities such as TVs and coolers--in an effort to retain drivers at a time of driver shortages.
"The trend is to a lot more consideration and concern for the driver," says David Bardsley, a manager with the business strategy department of Ford Heavy Truck. Also, he says, "truck-maintenance people know that the driver who is comfortable is not going to beat up the truck" by practices such as hitting bumps at high speeds or grinding the transmission.
To increase engine reliability and operating efficiency, improved electronics were installed in many 1995 models of all sizes. As a result, more truck models will have anti-lock braking systems, and many instrument panels will offer more information about the condition of trucks' operating systems.
The costs of the improvements will be relatively modest. Prices for 1995 lightduty trucks are expected to rise about 2.5 percent over comparably equipped 1994 models, while makers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks are hinting at smaller rates of increases.
The '94 trucks - commercial and passenger trucks - Evaluation
Light, medium, and heavy trucks are selling at such a hot pace that they accounted for almost 40 percent of vehicle sales during the first six months of 1993. That is up from 36 percent during the same period last year.
Light trucks in particular have been posting strong sales figures. Pickups, sport utilities, and vans accounted for nearly 38 percent of all vehicles sold in the first six months of 1993. While medium and heavy trucks comprised just over 2 percent of total vehicle sales, that market share has been growing.
Orders for the largest trucks in 1992 reached 160,000, the highest level since 1978. In the first haft of 1993, sales of such trucks soared 38.4 percent over the same period in 1992, according to the American Automobile Manufacturers Association.
The final figures for this year are likely to show vigorous growth in the Class 8 truck market--the biggest trucks, those with gross vehicle weight exceeding 33,000 pounds-says James Meil, manager of economic analysis for Eaton Corp., a Cleveland-based manufacturer of automotive components. He says the expected growth stems from the revitalization of U.S. manufacturing. "The transportation of manufactured goods," he says, "is responsible for more than 80 percent of total truck ton-miles."
"The truck business is better than the economy as a whole," says James L. Hebe, president and CEO of Freightliner Corp. He attributes truck manufacturing's good health to a decline in inflation and interest rates and to expansion in industrial production, exports, and construction, all of which have produced a 14 percent increase in tonnage trucked per mile from mid-1991 to the end of 1992.
Equally encouraging are analysts' predictions based on consumer reactions to the new trucks for 1994. According to the forecasts, 5.2 million to 6.2 million light trucks will be sold in 1994, compared with 4.9 million in 1992, the latest year for which complete figures are available.
Sales of medium and heavy trucks, which totaled 249,000 in 1992 and were up for the first six months of 1993 by more than 18,000 units over the same period in 1992, are expected to be steady in 1994.
Manufacturers are trying to meet buyers' demands that trucks--light trucks especially--be as comfortable as automobiles. Interiors of some new light trucks resemble spotty cars, and exteriors are more and more stylish. Suspensions of light trucks are softer, with more-rugged systems available for hard duty.
Standard Motor Products incorporates OE technology throughout its product lines
As an international OE/OES supplier, Standard Motor Products incorporates OE technology throughout its product lines. Maintaining either QS9000 or TS16949 certifications at numerous internationally located facilities, Standard proves it meets OE technology and performance requirements.
By using Standard's thick film and direct ignition control modules, customers benefit from OE relationships that put OE chips and circuits into Standard designs, with any OE changes incorporated into new production immediately. This ensures that modules will always match OE performance. Our Electronics Business Unit in Orlando, Fla., is a state of the art facility, more reminiscent of the high-tech world than automotive.
Computer aided design is used by a fully staffed R & D department. Substrate manufacturing is done using cutting edge 10,000-rated clean room technology, and automated optical inspection is used to ensure every product meets stringent quality standards. Finished goods are fully tested in hot and cold environmental test rooms to verify OE performance in harsh real-world conditions.
In Greenville, S.C., Standard manufactures throttle body and multi port fuel injectors in both the pintle and disc style. The disc style injector is used in new car production lines in Europe. The disc style provides the quick response and long life that new car manufacturers demand. Injector units are manufactured in a fully vertically integrated plant that is TS16949 certified.
The plant employs a 100-percent product testing procedure and 100,000 clean room technologies to guarantee that the highest quality standards are consistently met. All of our customers benefit from the attention to quality required by our OE customers.
The Greenville facility also produces both cam/crank sensors and ignition coils. Standard cam sensors are used in domestic new vehicle production, and the Ford coil-on-plug unit produced at this location is a true OE match. Our coverage is worldwide for both domestic and import vehicles. All sensors and coils produced benefit from the processes developed and followed to earn and maintain the OE quality certifications.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
AUSA Sustaining Member Profile: International Truck and Engine Corp.
Corporate Structure: Headquarters: Warrenville, III. Chairman, President and CEO: Daniel C. Ustian. Sales and revenue (2004): $9.6 billion.
International Truck and Engine Corp., an operating company of Navistar International Corp., is a leading producer of commercial trucks and mid-range diesel engines. As part of its more than 100-year history, International has provided the U.S. military with logistical and engine solutions to operate and perform in the challenging combat environment.
During World War II, International produced the M-series of military trucks that served as weapons carriers, cargo transporters and light artillery transportation.
During this time, the International brand of trucks earned the reputation of being durable, reliable trucks able to traverse difficult terrain under fire, carrying over-capacity loads.
This reputation continues today, reflected in the diversity of vehicles International Truck and Engine Corp. offers the commercial and military markets-from service vehicles, delivery trucks, tow trucks and heavy long-haul trucks to over-the-road tractors and armored military logistical transport vehicles.
International's military vehicles are built on a tested, proven and recognized commercial platform. This provides unique advantages to the military, including lower development, procurement and maintenance costs, increased troop-transport capabilities and exceptional engine performance. International's military vehicles are designed specifically to protect troops and to handle challenging military applications that emerge in today's combat environment.
International's most recent advanced military vehicles include the International® 4200 MV and the militarized version of the commercial MXT(TM). The International® 4200 MV, built with a special emphasis on protecting soldiers, represents the latest in commercially available engine and truck technology. Designed to handle a 360-degree fully armored cab for soldier protection without degrading power, speed and handling, the truck has 7.62 ballistic protection and is 4-pound-mine resistant.
Drafting Trucks For Military Service
Through COMBATT program, military could end up leasing its light tactical vehicles; familiar vehicles get tough-guy makeovers
The U.S. military's huge light truck fleet is aging. Many of these vehicles are older than their drivers. It's estimated that by 2010, more than 78 percent of the Light Tactical Vehicle Fleet of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) will be, in military parlance, overage.
The AM General HMMWV was originally designed in the early 1980s. After high production rates in the early years, there has been a low build rate and few improvements have been made to the basic design. With so many HMMWVs approaching their 20th year in service, updating the fleet is an absolute necessity But the army's budget has been so constrained that this is nearly impossible to purchase new HMMWVs in adequate numbers. While very capable -- and in fact more vehicle than is needed for many missions -- HMMWVs are relatively expensive to acquire and support.
As a result, the U.S. Army is looking at using modified commercial trucks as well as some rather "Innovative Acquisition and Ownership" strategies under its COMmercially BAsed Tactical Truck (COMBATT) program. This demonstration program, sponsored by the Army's National Automotive Center (NAC) in Warren, Mich., is managed by Veridian-ERIM International, Ann Arbor, Mich. DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and AM General are the key participants in the project. Recently, their COMBATT demonstration vehicles were displayed at the SAE Automotive Congress in Detroit.
While COMBATT is a U.S. Army program, its results, like the HMMWV program before it, would undoubtedly be used by all the military services as well as other government agencies that require serious off-road mobility. In the COMBATT program, commercial pickup trucks have been modified to perform tasks now assigned to the troop and cargo-carrying variants of the HMMWV. The army is also considering leasing rather than purchasing these vehicles. After three years on lease, the trucks would be returned to the OEMs, where they would be refurbished and then resold on the commercial market, where there is said to be no shortage of eager customers for severe-duty vehicles. Potential customers are logging and mining companies, rural fire fighters and foreign military organizations.
Trucks made with power to spare; Oshkosh Truck testing hybrid truck
When floodwaters rose around Charity Hospital in New Orleans, power lines were down and drainage pumps languished.
The hospital basement was flooded, water was 4 feet deep in the street, and doctors used canoes to bring in supplies.
Following Hurricane Katrina, conditions in the city's largest hospital deteriorated rapidly.
More than 1,100 miles away, Oshkosh Truck Corp. wanted to help with hurricane relief and further test a hybrid, diesel-electric truck it was developing for military and civilian applications. The ProPulse hybrid truck's generator can provide power for a small airport, a field hospital or a military command post.
Company officials also thought it had enough power to pump the water out of Charity Hospital.
"We didn't brag about it, or even advertise the fact that we were doing this," Robert Bohn, company chairman, president and CEO said last week.
The hybrid went into service at the hospital for several days, in addition to providing power at other New Orleans locations. It performed well, Bohn said.
Oshkosh Truck currently is conducting field tests of a handful of other diesel-electric hybrids. Unlike other hybrids, it doesn't use battery packs to store electricity. The Oshkosh vehicles use capacitors that absorb large amounts of power and turn it into electricity quickly and efficiently.
One of the trucks has been used to power Wittman Regional Airport, in Winnebago County. It was a brief, carefully controlled test to measure the truck's capabilities.
Besides acting as mobile power stations, diesel-electric hybrids could be used for other purposes. Waste Management Inc., one of the nation's largest refuse haulers, is testing the Oshkosh hybrid for use on garbage routes with a lot of stop-and-go driving.
Large fuel savings
As the truck slows for a stop, energy that's otherwise wasted is captured and converted into usable power. The conversion could result in fuel savings of 20% or more. That's important because standard garbage trucks get only about 3 miles per gallon, said Lynn Brown, a Waste Management spokeswoman in Houston.
Currently, there are more than 179,000 waste collection trucks on U.S. roads, according to INFORM, an environmental group that follows such data. While the trucks perform a vital public service, their diesel engines also spew large amounts of harmful gases, particulates and more than three dozen toxic contaminants.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The 1997 trucks - Buyers Guide
From light-duty pickups and vans to the biggest, most powerful over-the-road haulers, trucks are shedding pounds and using technology to reduce maintenance costs and improve fuel economy
The red-hot market for light-duty trucks is softening slightly, says Howard Layson, director of automotive consulting at Coopers & Lybrand Consulting in New York City. "The shortages of the past 24 months are gone," he says, "be cause [manufacturing] capacity is catching up with the demand. Buyers will be able to get quick delivery unless they order a unique package of options."
Layson says that light trucks--which include pickups, full-size vans, and the now-ubiquitous minivans and sport-utility vehicles--are still the hottest product in transportation.
Today, trucks represent 44 percent of all industry sales. Ross Roberts, general manager of Ford Division, says that by 2000, more trucks than cars will be sold in the United States. Trucks now represent 54.5 percent of sales at Ford, 65 percent at Chrysler Corp., and 42 percent at General Motors Corp.
Maryann Keller, an automotive-industry analyst and the managing director of Furman Selz, LLC, in New York City, says she expects about 6.5 million light trucks will be sold this year. "As long as gasoline costs no more than bottled water," she says, buyers will tolerate the fuel efficiency of light trucks, which averages 14 miles per gallon, 6 miles per gallon less than the average fuel efficiency of cars.
Sales of medium-duty trucks for the first half of 1996 were less than 1 percent below last year's first-half sales. But in heavy-duty trucks, sales of the heaviest type--Class 8, trucks weighing more than 33,000 pounds--were down more than 14 percent from a year earlier, according to the trade publication Automotive News. James L. Hebe, president and CEO of Freightliner, a maker of heavy-duty trucks, forecasts that the industry's Class 8 sales for all of 1996 will be 155,000, down from the record 201,304 sold in 1995.
Because of business's demands for lower operating costs, the newest heavy-duty trucks are losing weight for fuel economy and adding horsepower and torque (pulling power) for faster hill-climbing.
Technological improvements also are helping to reduce operating costs. For example, an option from Detroit Diesel, called optimized idle, keeps the engine warm, the batteries charged, and the cab heated or cooled as necessary while idling the engine at a minimal speed.
Materials; And the Winner Is . . .—'99 trucks outpace cars in aluminum use - Statistical Data Included
Aluminum will play a larger role in vehicle content as automakers strive to create lighter and more fuel efficient cars and trucks, says Donald W. Macmillan, president of Global Automotive Products for Alcan Aluminum Ltd. This will reshape the automobile from the vehicles we drive today, Mr. Macmillan recently told the International Motor Press Assn. in New York.
He notes that aluminum usage already has set a new record during the '99 model year, and that future models promise to contain even more of the lightweight metal. Mr. Macmillan cites a report completed late in 1998 that reveals significant growth in aluminum use in '99 models. He adds that trucks, which are less fuel efficient than cars, are setting the pace in using more aluminum.
By an average of 15 lbs. (7 kg) per vehicle, '99 model light trucks, including sport/utility vehicles (SUVs) and minivans, contain more aluminum than cars. The average '99 car uses 241 lbs. (109 kg) of aluminum compared to 256 lbs. (116 kg) in the average light truck. Overall average aluminum usage this year will be 248 lbs., (116 kg) up 8.8% from the 228 lbs. (103 kg) per vehicle in 1996.
The study, conducted by Ducker Research Co. of Bloomfield Hills, MI, also says that General Motors Corp. leads the industry in total aluminum usage at 1.4 billion lbs. (635 million kg) and a content per vehicle of 271 lbs. (123 kg). Ford Motor Co. follows with 253 lbs. (115 kg) per vehicle and DaimlerChrysler Corp. is third with 228 lbs. (104 kg) per vehicle. Transplants average 226 lbs. (103 kg) per vehicle, the study says.
GM vehicles that use significantly more aluminum in new models than the ones they replace include the 2000 Cadillac DeVille, up 20% to 458 lbs. (208 kg), Buick LeSabre, up 43% to 325 lbs. (147 kg); and Chevrolet Suburban, up 24% to 331 lbs. (150 kg). The new Chevrolet Tahoe also uses 24% more aluminum, now 350 lbs. (159 kg) and the GMC Sierra pickup uses 27% more, 285 lbs. (129 kg), based on the study.
Overall, total aluminum content of '99 model North American-built vehicles will be 3.8 billion lbs. (1.7 billion kg) based on a forecast of 15.4 million units. This easily could be surpassed, because the industry is running at a pace of more than 16 million units so far this year.
Making Trucks More Like Cars - Richard Parry-Jones of Ford Motor Co
Ford's Richard Parry-Jones explains why the 2002 Explorer has more in common with a Taurus than a Ranger.
How do you make a hulking SUV move with the athletic grace of a sport sedan? If you're Ford Motor Co., you wield your secret weapon -- Product Development Vice-President Richard Parry-Jones. As a teenager in the U.K. he served an apprenticeship of sorts by resuscitating his father's discarded BSA Bantam motorcycle. Now the 49-year-old VP sets high standards for excellence throughout Ford's product lineup with a special emphasis on driving dynamics.
Parry-Jones recently shared some of his product passion with Automotive Industries while en route to Ford's Kingman, Ariz., proving grounds, where journalists were given their first opportunity to drive the 2002 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer.
Q: What do you consider the most distinguishing feature of Ford's new SUVs?
A: The independent rear suspension we've incorporated not only moves these models significantly forward in refinement, it also facilities highly practical and versatile third-row seating.
Q: Is this yet another example of car attributes infiltrating light trucks?
A: Absolutely. SUVs began as trucks with passenger-carrying capability. As they became more popular, their constituents -- former car drivers -- naturally expected comfort, low noise, refinement and safety. So, the new Explorer has more in common with a modem car's technology than with pickup-truck technology.
Q: What other examples of car technology have you infused in the new Explorer?
A: In response to the desire for low noise levels and higher fuel efficiency, we moved advanced powertrain technologies into our truck engines. That's not to say car engines are suitable in SUVs. Due to their larger overall size, frontal area and mass, the ideal SUV engine needs much more torque and a broader torque curve. So, the piston displacement is invariably larger and torque-enhancement features will be more important.
But after saying that, it's interesting that the sohc 4.6L V-8 in the Explorer and Mountaineer beats the 5.0L pushrod engine it replaces in power, weight, fuel economy and performance feel. (Both engines provide roughly the same peak torque, but at different revs: 280 pounds-feet at 4,000 rpm in the new engine versus the retired V-8's 288 pounds-feet at 3,300 rpm.)
Monday, July 24, 2006
Toyota Takes on Trucks
Toyota has long been known as a producer of durable, long lasting compact pickup trucks, yet recent years have seen them rapidly expand the truck line-up. The Tacoma, produced at NUMMI, has been a segment standard for over a decade, with a strong, committed following--especially in the western states. Toyota has recently expanded the Tacoma line-up with the four-door Tacoma Double Cab. The Double Cab is among the best of the pickup-focused offerings on the market.
But to be successful, Toyota needed more than a small pickup. The full-size Tundra has been the most critical step in the expansion of the product line-up. In the span of one year, the Tundra has established itself as a best-in-class, full-size pickup. The division that once fielded a woefully weak T-100 is now, in many ways, the industry bogey. The Tundra has been an important step in increasing the acceptance of Toyota among traditional pickup truck buyers. This acceptance as a manufacturer of vehicles specifically for the U.S. market will be a critical step for the division and the company as a whole.
Toyota has for some time delivered the Land Cruiser, a strong full-size sport utility vehicle. Over that time, the low-volume vehicle has developed a global reputation for outstanding quality and ruggedness yet sales remained extremely low. Last year, Toyota took another step into the full-size sport utility segment.
This time with a more mainstream product. The Sequoia, a direct competitor to the Ford Expedition and Chevy Tahoe, has proven to be a worthy entry. Built off the Tundra platform in Princeton, IN, the Sequoia delivers full-size SUV done American-style.
Light Trucks Are Popular! Film At 11 - Statistical Data Included
Talk about stating the obvious. According to a recent study From the automotive record keepers at the Polk Company, light trucks are popular among Baby Boomers. Really? We hadn't noticed. We were too busy trying to see around the line of tall vehicles in Front of us. But at least now we have a better idea of how old these people are.
The Polk numbers show light trucks accounting for nearly 40% of all new vehicle registrations in 2000, divided almost evenly between SUVs and pickups (19% and 18% respectively]. Among Baby Boomers (those 35-54 years old], light trucks were even more popular, taking 43.6% of their purchases, with SUVs taking 23.6% of sales.
What does it all mean? Well, Polk says it expects the popularity of these vehicles to rise with Boomers because they are reportedly looking for a vehicle capable of transporting children to their various activities, and that have family-oriented convenience and comfort items as part of the package. In addition, Folk researches say members of this wealthy subset will demand more luxury, comfort and convenience, especially in the emerging crossover market.
This could explain recent auto show concepts like Infiniti's FX-45 (reportedly based on the replacement for the Nissan Skyline GT), Cadillac, Vizon, GMC Terracross and others. They are understandable in light of the 23.7% increase in luxury SUV sales during the first nine months of 2000, but will they continue to be if the downturn gets ugly or automotive fashion shifts? Still, with the cash-flush Baby Boomers buying nearly 70% of all luxury SUVs, this focus seems to make some sense From the OEM's standpoint.
Automotive Multimedia Interface Collaboration Schedules Three Supplier Updates
The Automotive Multimedia Interface Collaboration said it will host three international update briefings for suppliers to the automotive, computer and high-tech electronics industries. The briefings will be held February 23 in Frankfurt, Germany; February 29 in Tokyo; and March 9 in Detroit.
"AMIC has made significant progress in the past year in completing our organizational structure and reaching accord on the requirements needed for both hardware and software on future cars and trucks," AMIC Spokesman Dave Acton said, "And now it's time for us to meet with suppliers and those interested in becoming suppliers to make sure we move into the next phase of our development together."
Acton stressed that AMIC is open to any interested supplier in electronic businesses. AMIC was formed in September l998 and today is led by 12 automotive manufacturers and their subsidiaries which include: BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Fiat, General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, Renault, Toyota, and VW. A spokesman for AMIC said the group is planning to set up an office in the San Francisco area in the future.
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