09 15 Owner Driver - Challenge and Celebration

9 0 - September 2015 OWNER//PRIVER www.ownerdriver.com.au

I Going the Extra Mile

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September, 2015Owner Driver, National

Author: Greg Bush • Section: General News • Article type : News ItemAudience : 37,039 • Page: 90 • Printed Size: 4045.00cm² • Market: NationalCountry: Australia • ASR: AUD 18,835 • Words: 1105 • Item ID: 463927137

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AS PART of UD Trucks' celebration of 80 years in operation, its Australiandivision put on a showcase at Queensland's Mt Cotton Training Centre in lateJuly when seven of the Japanese manufacturer's units were made available forcustomers and dealership personnel.

It was also an opportunity for UD to host its inaugural UD Trucks Extra MileChallenge, not unlike its stablemate Volvo's Drivers' Fuel Challenge.

The truck line-up on show ranged from the Condor MK 11 250 up to theQuon G W 26 420. In between were a couple of newbies, the PD 24 280 and MKtipper, both of which debuted at this year's Brisbane Truck Show.

However, the buzz around the tree-ringed Mt Cotton track was the first everAustralian appearance of the 6x2 Quon, complete with a lazy axle.

Known also as the CD 24 380, the locally adapted prototype is UD's attemptto up the ante against the 6x2 plus 40-tonne GCM market which the Europeansare dominating.

Locally adapted from an imported 4x2, the 6x2 Quon comes with a GH 11series 38Ohp (280kW) engine and a 12-speed Escot V transmission. UD isaiming it at the intrastate and urban delivery market, with the advantage thatthe 6x2 will deliver better economy than a 6x4.

UD Trucks product manager Ben Chamberlin says the prototype cab-chassisQuon has already passed ADR for brake and compliance. The next step is towait for demand.

"We'll go back to Japan, and if we can get the volume out of the dealernetwork and some commitment on some volume, I'll be pretty confident we canget a project going for this," he says.

"It's 45-tonne GCM, that's the main advantage for it. Really in that segmentthe competition is European, so DAF, Scania, Mercedes-Benz ... Volvo hassome opportunity in that segment as well."

However, Chamberlin says pricewise, the UD will be well away from whereVolvo competes.

"Obviously the GCM gives us an advantage that we've got a differentiator inthat marketplace from the 42-tonne.

"At 45-tonne we're able to open up a little bit more and spread us a bit furtheraway from Volvo."

Naturally, UD wants to avoid going into direct competition against its VolvoGroup Australia stablemates, hence the reasoning behind ditching the 13-litreGW 470 Quon, the last of which was sold a couple of months ago. It leaves the420 as UD's biggest product, until Euro 6 kicks in anyway.

The Quon GW 26 420, with its GH11 engine and 12-speed Escot V two-pedalautomated manual transmission (AMT), has been around for a couple of years now.

Like its Volvo big brother, it comes with hill start aid, perfect for testing outon Mt Cotton's undulating circuit.

It's 11-litre 420hp (309kW) engine boasts l,600ft-lb (2,169Nm) oftorque, although Volvo recommends driving it in 'economy' mode, which

Reversing testduring the UD TruckslExtra Mile Challenge

fWe probably wontoo many manual trar

in flustralia.

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The Quon GW 26 420 boaststhe biggest horsepower in the Australian UD line-up

;*.

i he 6x2 Quon CD 24 380 on trial

•UD Trucks vice president of salesJon McLean says UD's new sound

system can easily handle themusic of Led Zeppelin

delivers torque figures between 1,000 and 1,500 for those seeking the bestfuel efficiency.

"We are a multi brand company with a multi brand strategy," Volvo GroupAustralia managing director Peter Voorhoeve states."We have Volvo, Mack, UD and Renault."

"In the set-up that we have in Australia, it didn't make too much sense to havethe 13-litre engine in the UD offering.

"With the offering that we have today, if you take Mack, Volvo and UD together,we have a complete offering. So every customer can pick what he wants.

"What I would like to avoid as much as possible is internal competition."Of course there are a couple of applications that you can do with a 13-litre

UD that you maybe cannot do with a Mack or with a Volvo. Those are very smallsegments which unfortunately we have to step out of," Voorhoeve says.

"But we are convinced we can offer everything to our customers for all differentapplications, but maybe not from the same brand."

While the 6x2 Quon attracted its fair share of interest, UD happily spruiked thecapabilities of its MK tipper, available both in 6-speed manual, or the 5-speedAllison auto. While traditionalists may stick with the manual, the easy driving autois certain to be the popular pick.

"If you hop out of one into the other, you'll see that we probably won't selltoo many manual transmissions in Australia," UD Trucks vice president of salesJon McLean says.

"With that Allison transmission, it's like driving a car."Both the manual and auto versions of the MK 11 250 tippers were

put through their paces, hauling and tipping loads of dirt, thanks toVolvo Construction Equipment.

The 11-tonne GVM tipper, with 250hp (184kW), carries around 5- to 5.5-tonnepayload, which UD claims is the highest payload in the market for that typeof truck.

The tipper, along with the other rigids, also comes with a reversing camera and,like the rest of the UD line-up, Fleet Max Plus telematics and satellite navigation.McLean points out that customers purchasing a UD will receive those add-ons ina complimentary package, including insurance, up until December 31 this year.

In addition, the audio system has been upgraded, including the addition of Sony150 watt three-way speakers.

"So if you put on one of your favourite Led Zeppelin songs and bang that babyup, the sound quality is fantastic," McLean enthuses.

The telematics was given a workout at Mt Cotton through the Extra MileChallenge. Each driver was handed a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,keeping track of driving style efficiency and ultimately fuel economy.

Chamberlin says the latest telematics system is an extension of the UD's originalpackage which was released in 2013.

"Over the past two years we've spent hundreds of hours refining the reports,improving the total package.

"Since then we've actually gone for a one-click style user portal,"Chamberlin says.

"We've tried to make it as simple as possible, so on the front page when you login, basically the widget will provide you fast information, and you click throughto your report on fuel, or violations or driver efficiency."

Following the completion of the UD Trucks Extra Mile Challenge, John Murrayof Origin Energy emerged as the winner, beating runner-up Clint Sheppard ofDGL, and third placegetter Josh Saunders of Lee's Liquid Waste Services. "

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V few oldies gatecrashedLhe celebrations

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09 15 Owner Driver - Challenge and Celebration