Navistar Sees Higher 2009, 2010 Truck Demand
from Reuters
Truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp said it expects a slight rebound in North American truck sales this year and a bigger one in 2010, sending its shares up 13 percent. Navistar shares initially fell after the company issued an earnings forecast and said the industry was still challenged heading into 2009. But on the conference call it said its forecast included up to $3 per share in pension-related costs, reflecting the recent stock market selloff. Navistar said it expects fiscal 2009 earnings of $5.10 to $5.60 per share on sales of $15 billion to $16 billion. More

Isuzu to use SCR for 2010
from Fleet Owner
Isuzu Commercial Truck of America has announced it will use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology requiring diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to meet 2010 EPA standards for diesel engine NOx emissions. The new technology will be used in Isuzu engines sold in Isuzu, Chevrolet and GMC brand trucks. The company added that it will continue to use both a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), first introduced in its trucks in 2007. More

Daimler Forms Truck Venture with Chinese Firm
from Transport Topics
Daimler AG and China’s Beiqi Foton Motor Co. have agreed to form a venture in Beijing to make trucks and engines, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Under the approximately $929 million venture, Daimler and Foton, China’s biggest truck maker, will each own half of Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Bloomberg reported. The partners will form the venture in August, start engine production in 2011 and begin making trucks in 2012, Foton said in a Shanghai stock exchange statement Wednesday. The two truck makers have spent more than four years seeking a partnership, with earlier plans delayed by Daimler’s sale of Chrysler LLC, Bloomberg said. More

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Hino Truck Engines Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Conventional Medium-Duty Truck Owners
from Market Watch
Hino Truck engines rank highest in customer satisfaction among conventional cab medium-duty truck owners, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Medium-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today. The study measures customer perceptions of 2006 model-year Class 5, 6 and 7 gasoline and diesel engines, and provides manufacturers with a comprehensive and objective measure of customer satisfaction with the products and related dealer service. Four factors are measured to determine overall engine satisfaction. In order of importance, they are: engine warranty; engine quality; engine performance; and cost of engine ownership. More

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Ford Hopes Sales of Restyled F-150 Series Pickups Remain Brisk
from The Dallas Morning News
Everyone at Ford Motor Co. had high hopes for the new F-150 pickup – and probably a prayer or two. Although the F-150 has been the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. for more than 30 years, the big truck was slammed in the spring by high gas prices, tripped in late summer by tight credit and slowed now by a terrible economy. But initial orders for the restyled 2009 F-150 have been so strong that Ford has restored two shifts to its pickup plants in suburban Kansas City, Mo., and Dearborn, Mich., and scheduled overtime to meet the demand. More

Chrysler, With $4 Billion in U.S. Aid, Won’t Report Finances
from Bloomberg
Chrysler LLC, operating with a $4 billion taxpayer-funded bailout from the U.S. government, isn’t required to report financial information to the public and has no plan to do so. Chrysler, closely held by Cerberus Capital Management LP, won’t disclose its operating results, a spokeswoman said. The loan agreement requires the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker to report its finances only to the U.S. Treasury, which hasn’t committed to releasing the information. More

Bush Won't Impose Tougher Fuel Rules
from Detroit Free Press
The Bush administration declined to put into place tough new fuel economy rules for cars and trucks, letting the incoming Obama administration decide how to balance cutting Americans' demand for oil with billions of dollars in new costs for struggling Detroit automakers. More

Automotive Start-Up Aims to Build 100 MPG Hybrid Truck
from EV World
Detroit's chaos and America's summer bout with $4-a-gallon gasoline have opened the way for a wave of automotive innovators like John Waters. Primed to revive the state's ailing auto economy, the former General Motors engineer is the chief executive officer of Bright Automotive, an obscure Anderson startup whose 20 employees are busy on one job: creating a car company. More