(Chrysler and Fiat logos)
Auburn Hills, Mich,USA -The Car Connection -27 May 2011: -- By June 6, Fiat will own a controlling stake in American automaker Chrysler... The Wall Street Journal reports that Fiat will exercise an option in its contract to invest in Chrysler, to buy a 6-percent stake held by the U.S. Treasury... The purchase, to be executed within 10 days, eventually will raise Fiat's total stake in the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker, to 57 percent... Last week, Fiat paid $1.3 billion to boost its share in Chrysler after the automaker refinanced loans from the Federal government. And later in the year, the start of production of a 40-mpg small car jointly with Chrysler will add another 5 percent to the Italian automaker's stake, all for the 57-percent total... With majority control, the WSJ points out, Fiat will be able to merge management teams now operating in parallel... Beyond the financial moves in play, Fiat still can purchase the Canadian government's 1.7-percent stake in Chrysler, and a piece of the UAW's share, which it received in lieu of cash payments into a retiree healthcare fund set up before Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009...
* Volvo Group to build $8 million addition to its 3P tech center
Greensboro,NC,USA -The Winston Salem Journal, by Fran Daniel -May 27, 2011: -- The Volvo Group broke ground Thursday morning on an $8 million project that will expand its Greensboro Technical Center. The expansion will add 39,000 square feet to the company's existing 100,000-square-foot tech center... The Greensboro Technical Center, provides product planning, product development, purchasing and project management for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks — Volvo Group's two brands in North America... Denny Slagle, the president and chief executive of Mack Trucks Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America, said the expansion will keep Volvo Group competitive on the purchasing side. He told the tech center's employees that their efforts are the reason for the new construction... He said the expansion is needed to provide enough development capacity to support the Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks brands... (Photo by TED RICHARDSON/JOURNAL 1: The Volvo Trucks building is near Interstates 40/85 in Greensboro)* USA - Volvo awards 500,000th U.S.-built truck to Wilson Trucking
Dublin,VA,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcar -May 26, 2011: -- The 500,000th truck built by Volvo Trucks North American (VTNA) is going home with the same company that bought the very first unit to roll off Volvo’s New River Valley production line here in Dublin, VA... Brothers Chuck Wilson and T. Guy Wilson – the chairman and president, respectively, of Fishersville, VA-based Wilson Trucking – were on hand to receive the keys to their new Volvo VNL 300 daycab tractor. It shared the stage with the very first Volvo truck bought by the family-owned carrier in 1982, an F7 tractor, which Wilson Trucking only recently retired from active service... Virginia’s Dept. of Motor Vehicles also issued Wilson Trucking a commemorative license plate, emblazoned with the numbers “500 000,” in honor of VTNA awarding it the 500,000th truck built at the New River Valley plant...* Freightliner offers new AMT for Business Class M2
Portland,ORE,USA -Truck News (CAN) -May 24, 2011: -- Freightliner has introduced a new automated manual transmission for its Business Class M2, designed to provide smoother shifting and improved fuel economy... The AMT3 transmission features "smart" electronics that evaluate road, grade and load conditions to perform shifts at the optimum engine RPM for fast, smooth shifts as well as fuel savings, the company reports... As an automated manual transmission, there is no torque converter, as the engine is coupled to the transmission via a hydraulically actuated clutch, minimizing torque interruption during acceleration and shifting... (Image from classytrucks.org: Freightliner business class M2)
* UPS composite-bodied prototype delivery vehicle
Atlanta,GA,USA -AutoblogGreen, by Eric Loveday -May 26, 2011: -- UPS has announced that it's testing five CV-23 prototype vehicles from Utilimaster/Isuzu. The goal of the trial is to see if the CV-23s can survive the rigors of hauling packages in extreme conditions while reducing fuel consumption by 40 percent when compared to UPS' standard P70 delivery truck. The testing for these vehicles began in April and will conclude at the end of 2011... The 150-horsepower prototype truck utilizes an Isuzu four-cylinder diesel engine and a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission. The engine is significantly smaller than the P70's oil-burning mill and the thought is that this downsized engine will sip less fuel. Overall, the CV-23 tips the scales at 1,000 pounds less than the P70 due to its composite body panels... Click here to view UPS' interactive infographic detailing some of the CV-23's unique features...
