Archive for December, 2007
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., announced a summary of automobile production, Japan domestic sales, and export results for the month of November 2007, including a record for worldwide production for the month of November and an all-time record for any month for production in regions outside of Japan.
Due to a decrease in production for the domestic market, production in Japan experienced a year-on-year decrease for the third consecutive month (since September 2007).
Production in regions outside of Japan experienced a year-on-year increase for the 28th consecutive month (since August 2005).
Worldwide production also experienced a year-on-year increase for the 28th consecutive month (since August 2005).
Honda set an all-time record for any month for production in regions outside of Japan as well as production in Asia Oceania and China. Worldwide production, as well as production in North America and Europe, marked an all-time record for the month of November.
Total domestic sales for the month of November experienced a year-on-year decline for the 11th consecutive month (since January 2007).
Due to strong sales of the all-new Fit, new vehicle registrations in November experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in seven months (since April 2007).
Sales of mini-vehicles in November experienced a year-on-year decline for the ninth consecutive month (since March 2007).
Fit was the industry’s best-selling car among new vehicle registrations for the month of November, with sales of 18,138 units. StepWGN had sales of 5,036 units.
Life was the industry’s fourth best-selling car among mini-vehicles for the month of November, with sales of 7,767 units. Zest was the industry’s tenth best-selling mini-vehicle with sales of 2,971 units.
Due mainly to an increase in exports to North America and Asia, total exports from Japan in November experienced a year-on-year increase for the fifth consecutive month (since July 2007).
Posted in car | No Comments »
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
General Motors became the first global automaker to sell 1 million vehicles in China in a single year today when GM China Group President and Managing Director Kevin Wale handed the keys to a Buick Park Avenue to Mr. Zhang Jianping at Shanghai GM’s corporate showroom in Shanghai.
“Becoming the first global manufacturer to sell 1 million vehicles in China is a demonstration of the strength of our product, our people and our partnerships,” said GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. “China is a very important market, and we’re extremely proud of the contribution we have been able to make to the growth and development of its automotive industry. It’s been an extremely beneficial relationship for both sides.”
GM sales in China first surpassed 100,000 units annually back in 2002. Since then, GM sales have enjoyed steady growth, topping 500,000 annual sales in 2005, thanks to its growing lineup of brands and vehicles. The milestone million mark featured GM’s best-known and strongest brand in China, Buick.
“I’m extremely honored to be the one millionth customer in 2007 for General Motors,” Mr. Zhang said. “This is my second Buick and I appreciate the performance, safety and durability of Buick. In addition, I was very satisfied with the fuel economy of my first car. After comparing other products in the premium segment for my next car, it made perfect sense to choose the Park Avenue.”
“From day one, GM and our partners have been committed to continually rolling out new and upgraded models, with specific engineering done in China for China to satisfy the needs of Chinese vehicle buyers across the country,” Wagoner added.
This year, GM and its joint venture partners have begun offering several new products, including the Cadillac SLS luxury business sedan, Buick Park Avenue premium sedan, Chevrolet Captiva SUV, all-new Chevrolet Epica intermediate sedan and Wuling Hong Tu minivan.
According to Wagoner, reaching the new sales mark in 2007 is especially significant as it is taking place in a year in which GM has celebrated several milestones in China. Both Shanghai GM, the automaker’s flagship manufacturing joint venture, and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), GM’s engineering and design joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), marked their 10th anniversaries earlier this year. SAIC-GM-Wuling, GM’s mini-vehicle joint venture, also celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Posted in Trucks | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
An innovative building services company is using Toyota Huski skid-steer loaders in a process that recycles 95 percent of building waste.
Force 5 was the first company in Australia to develop on-site recycling of all construction waste. The company recently won the Housing Industry Association (HIA) Greensmart Partnership Award for its work.
It provides site clean-up services for some of the biggest names in residential construction in New South Wales and Queensland.
The company’s New South Wales fleet includes three Toyota Huski 4SDK5 machines and a 4SDK8.
NSW operations manager Paul Armstrong says the company plans to add another 4SDK8 machine to the fleet in the near future.
“The Toyotas are fantastic machines - reliable, durable and easy to operate,” he says.
Posted in Vehicles | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Dongfeng Tianlong, its latest heavy-duty truck model, is a new milestone for Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company. The firm developed the model independently this year, combining advanced international technology and local expertise.
In China, more commercial vehicle manufacturers like Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company are now stepping up efforts to develop their own models independently and launch them in overseas markets.
Dongfeng Tianlong has made repeated tests to guarantee product quality and received a positive response from the market.
Guided by a market-oriented strategy, Dongfeng Tianlong is completing its models.
Five months after its launch, Dongfeng Tianlong won eight prizes at the First China International Truck Fuel-Saving Competition, beating all heavy-duty truck manufacturers that participated in the contest.
Zhejiang Juhua Group, a major client of Dongfeng, commented that Dongfeng Tianlong is the best substitute for imported trucks due to its low oil consumption, high quality, competitive performance and perfect after sales service.
Posted in Trucks, Vehicles, news | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
An armored truck sold to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office for $1 last month is in the process of being refurbished and could be operational by early next month.
On Oct. 9, Anderson County commissioners voted, 4-1, to purchase an armored truck from the City of Woodway, a city of approximately 9,000 residents located just west of Waco, for $1.
Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said at the time that the truck would be utilized by his agency’s tactical team in special circumstances, such as a standoff with a suspect.
Anderson County Judge Linda Bostick Ray cast the dissenting vote, expressing concerns about insurance and other potential costs.
Taylor said his agency was offered the special truck based on a long-time friendship between sheriff’s Sgt. Charles Conner and the Woodway police chief.
Taylor has said the truck “is specially lined with Kevlar material” and “has the ability to stop .308 (caliber) rounds.”
Posted in Trucks, news | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Truck sales hit record levels across all categories in October, fuelled by a combination of the sustained economic boom and the pull-forward effect of new emissions standards that come into play from January 1, 2008.
Heavy duty truck sales hit a new high of 1,319 in the month, up from 1,213 in September and a low of 672 back in January.
PACCAR (Kenworth/ DAF) maintained market leadership in the month with 24 percent share, while the combined marketshare of stablemates Volvo and Mack slipped 2 percentage points to 18 percent, with Volvo lifting its share from 9.8 to 10.3 percent and Mack’s share dipping from 10.3 to 8.3 percent.
The combined marketshare of Japanese makes Hino, Isuzu and UD Nissan rose 2 percentage points to 20 percent, driven by a 1.9 percentage point increase in Hino’s share to 4.9 percent. Isuzu’s marketshare actually fell by 1.46 percentage points to 8.1 percent, while UD’s share rose slightly to 1.97 percent, up from 1.3 percent in the previous month.
DaimlerChrysler maintained its 17 percent share of heavy duty sales, Western Star’s share dipped by 1 percentage point to 10 percent and Iveco/International’s share rose by 1 percentage point to 8 percent.
After falling by 12 percent to 811 units in September, sales of medium-duty trucks also returned to record levels, rising by 13.3 percent to 919 units.
Posted in Trucks | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Corp or Sinotruck announced that the company has signed a heavy truck export deal with Russia heavy truck maker Likhachev-AMO ZIL, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.
Under the export deal, Sinotruck will supply at least 5,000 heavy trucks to the Russia partner in the coming 12 months.
Founded in 1916, Likhachev-AMO ZIL is Russia’s second largest heavy truck maker. It produces 3-8 tons trucks, pickups, minibuses and tourism buses.
The Shandong-based Sinotruck, is China’s largest heavy truck maker that holds 20.8 percent of China’s heavy truck market. By the end of October, Sinotruck has achieved this year’s sale target of 80,000 units; in the first nine months, the company has achieved this year’s export target of 10,000 units, a company official said.
Posted in Trucks, Vehicles | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Traffic on the highway linking East and Central Delhi was held up for over five hours on Friday morning when a truck broke down on the busy Nizamuddin Bridge leading to the Ring Road.
The truck, loaded with rice, was headed to one of the mandis in Delhi. When its axle broke down, it collapsed, leading to a jam. Police rushed a traffic crane to move it off the road, but the hook of the machine also broke down, forcing the traffic to proceed inch by inch. The Traffic Police offered a lame excuse for the fiasco. “Our cranes are meant to pull smaller vehicles. This crane could not take the pressure of a fully loaded truck,” said Joint Commissioner, Traffic, Qamar
Ahmad.
The Traffic Police had to borrow a heavy-duty crane from the Delhi Metro to save the day. The truck was finally pulled of the carriageway by noon. However, the truck could not be entirely removed till The fact that the road had only one lane worsened the chaos.
Posted in Trucks, news | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. announced today that it has acquired certain assets from Short Bark Industries, LLC (”SBI”), a supplier of seat covers and various cut-and-sew trim products.
In exchange for the commercial vehicle cut-and-sew assets and operations acquired from SBI, CVG paid approximately $3.6 million in cash and has assumed approximately $1.9 million of net liabilities due to third parties and $1.3 million of net liabilities due to CVG.
Included in the transaction are two leased facilities in Tellico Plains and Pikeville, Tennessee, which CVG management will assume responsibility for, effective immediately. The two leased facilities employ approximately 200 associates and are located near CVG’s seating operation in Vonore, Tennessee. CVG also has a ninety-day option to assume the shares, assets or operations of SBI’s leased facility in Capilla de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico, at no additional purchase price consideration. There are approximately 14 associates employed at the Mexico facility.
Lisa Held Janke, owner and Chief Executive Officer of SBI, will retain Short Bark’s military division and continue to focus on the military apparel business.
Posted in Vehicles | No Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
In the first nine months of the year, China produced a total of 1,636,100 trucks, an increase of 27.82 percent from the same period of last year, and sold a total 1,622,200, up 27.49 percent, according to the statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Impacted by new highway toll methods, a total of 378,600 heavy-duty trucks were produced in the first three quarters this year, up 71.41 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, some 374,895 heavy trucks were sold, up 68.27 percent.
Specifically in individual manufacturers, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Co Ltd (Sinotruk) sold 78,100 heavy trucks, up 76.15 percent year-on-year; First Automobile Works (FAW) 76,300, up 58.08 percent; Dongfeng Automobile Co Ltd 66,500, up 33.50 percent; Beiqi Foton Motor Co Ltd 43,600, up 107.01 percent; Anhui Jianghuai Gerfa Automobile Co Ltd 7,991, up 306.46 percent; and Hualing Automobile Co Ltd 8,237, up 120 percent.
Posted in Trucks | No Comments »
