8 WORDS IN ACTION http://www.abrbuzz.co.za
However, with the compulsory introduction of Atlantis Diesel
Engine fi tment to heavy trucks in South Africa from 1982 to
the mid-1990’s, the punitive duties that were incurred by non-
compliant vehicles argued against Mack’s continued use of its
own power units, thereby cancelling out its technical advantage.
In due course, Mack departed from the local market. In 1979,
European manufacturer Renault initiated a progressive takeover of
Mack Trucks, and completed the process, under the RVI banner,
in 1990. Mack subsequently passed, along with Renault’s other
trucking assets, into Volvo ownership in 2001. The Mack brand
has prevailed, and continues today as a fully-fl edged member
of the Volvo Group, being one of the group’s two participating
brands in the North American truck market. The recent North
American range has carried imaginative model names, such
as “Pinnacle” (on-highway hauler), “Granite” (vocational
applications), “TerraPro” (cabover/low-entry refuse/vocational),
and “Titan” (heavy haulage), while power was provided by 11,
13 and 16-litre Volvo Group engines, designated MP7, MP8 and
MP10 respectively in their Mack identities. Mack also builds and
markets trucks in Australia, but the brand has never returned in
any signifi cant numbers to the South African market.
Late last year, Mack introduced its new Anthem highway truck
model to its home market. Notable features include an all-new
exterior design with optimised aerodynamics, new driving and
sleeper arrangements, the trucking industry’s fi rst fl at-bottomed
steering wheel, 5-inch full-colour navigation screen, 7-inch
touchscreen information and entertainment display, seats
developed in partnership with Sears Seating, stand-up/walk-
through cab/sleeper environment, 27 cubic feet in-cab storage
(now quite separate from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation) has
launched the Fuso eCanter, claimed to be the world’s fi rst series
production all-electric light-duty truck, onto the US, European and
Japanese markets. Aimed at inner-city distribution applications,
the eCanter has a payload capability of up to three and a half
tons, an operating range of 100 km, and is equipped with six high
voltage 13,8 kWh lithium ion battery packs. Early retail customers
for the eCanter include UPS in North America, and the Seven
Eleven Company in Japan.
Some readers are sure to remember when Mack trucks were
extremely popular in South Africa. With their distinctive bulldog
bonnet mascots, Macks had been something of a novelty here up
till 1973, but subsequently they were to become very successful
players in the local market, primarily as extra heavy duty prime
movers. Mack’s most important feature, at that time, was a
combination of their Maxidyne high torque-rise diesel engines
and 5 or 6-speed triple-countershaft transmissions, while most
American competitors specifi ed 9, 13 or 15-speed multispeed
gearboxes. Somewhat surprisingly (to the competition), the
Mack recipe, with its considerably reduced workload demand on
drivers, delivered class-leading performance and fuel economy,
and was soon established as the favoured choice in many
prominent fl eets.
“The Fuso eCanter is the first all-electric truck model
from the Daimler Trucks global family”facilities, and LED-based exterior and interior lighting. The
technical specifi cation is made up of 11-litre MP7 or 13-litre MP
diesels covering the power/torque spectrum up to 505 hp and
1 860 lb.ft., coupled to 12, 13 or 14-speed mDRIVE automated
transmissions, and Mack’s in-house branded drive axles. The
latest design enhancements to Mack’s Volvo Group-derived
engines include two-piece valve covers, shimless rockers, a low-
pressure fuel system, enhanced aftertreatment emissions dosing,
and a double-walled exhaust recycling sensor, while a special
turbo-compound version of the MP8-TC SuperEconodyne engine
benefi ts from having 50 additional horsepower returned to its
crankshaft from the exhaust system through a system of gearing.Readers will note that the days of monstrous power increases and
giant forward leaps in technical specifi cations have gone from the
mainstream trucking industry. Now, it has become increasingly
necessary to dig deep into the electronic management and
communication elements of truck design to fi nd the driver and
operator aids that can off er measureable improvements in
performance and operating economy. It can truly be said that
the devil is increasingly in the detail, and it seems likely that
this situation will prevail until the electronic traction systems
mentioned previously start to invade the long-haul transportation
arena in substantial numbers.The announcement on September 6th, 2016, that Volkswagen
Truck and Bus had agreed to acquire a 16,6% stake in American
truck and engine manufacturer Navistar International Corporation,
at a cost of approximately $US 256 million, aroused considerable
worldwide interest. Clearly intended as a move by VW to increase
its global penetration through a signifi cant participation in the
important North American heavy duty truck market, it raised many
questions about the future direction of the American company,
which has endured more than its fair share of diffi culties in recent
years, and had notably withdrawn from its previously successful
participation in the South African trucking arena. The initial
response from observers to VW’s buy-in was positive, in that the
global giant’s patronage would provide Navistar with additional
fi nancial security, and carry forward the American manufacturer’s
11 and 13-litre diesel engine manufacturing collaboration with
VW’s MAN subsidiary, which dates back to 2008.Recently, Navistar announced that it was to end production of its
own 9/10-litre diesels at its Melrose Park, Illinois facility, during 2018.
This would leave buyers of International’s medium-duty range with
only a choice of 6, 7- or 9-litre Cummins engines for fi tment to their
new trucks. However, in view of our previous comments about the
increased acceptance of in-house major driveline components by
American operators, we are left wondering about some possible
future arrangement whereby International trucks may be off ered
with other engines from within the Volkswagen family. It is still
very early days in the VW/Navistar relationship, and we are sure
to hear of many new ramifi cations as the years roll out. In our
initial assessment of the buy-in, we doubted that the initial 16,6%
shareholding would provide VW with the desired level of leverage
over such a potentially important asset, and expressed the view
that this ownership ratio may eventually be expanded.“The Mack Anthem is the latest model to carry the iconic American
truckmaker’s bulldog mascot. Mack is now part of the global
Volvo Group”