Scania has unveiled the new R-series trucks that it hopes will strengthen its position in the vital long-haul segment.
The R-Series includes Scania Driver Support, a new system that gives professional drivers real-time feedback and tips on ways to refine their driving style.
Among the news is also a new version of the gearchanging system Scania Opticruise. The system is now available fully automated, i.e. without a clutch pedal. Several new functions are integrated to further facilitate driving.
“Our customers can now invest in improved total operating economy. The new R-series truck combined with Scania Driver Support will lower their fuel consumption even further. Since driver appeal is a strong Scania characteristic, the new cab environment has been extensively modified. This also helps attract the best drivers, which is another key factor in obtaining good fuel economy and low operational costs,” says Martin Lundstedt, Executive Vice President and Head of Franchise and Factory Sales.
The launch of the new R-series is one element of Scania’s efforts to achieve sales of 150,000 vehicles per year by the peak of the next economic expansion.
“We believe that the downturn has levelled off, even if the activity level remains low among our customers,” said Leif Östling, President and CEO of Scania.
“We are working hard to reduce our costs in response to weak demand, but at the same time we are preparing for the next upturn phase. Today’s launch will further strengthen our product range. Together with continued streamlining of Scania’s production system and service network, this will provide a great opportunity for strong and profitable growth when the market eventually turns around,” Mr Östling said.
“The strong focus on costs and cash flow will lay the groundwork for a more efficient organization going forward. Among other things, the experiences from our four-day week in the European organization will contribute to more efficient working methods in the future. Implementing the principles for continuous improvements – Scania Production System (SPS) – will result in increased productivity at the offices as well as within the sales and services network.”
Scania also presented its strategy for the bus and coach segment, which aims to further increase the degree of industrialization in the production of complete buses and coaches by means of closer collaboration with selected bodybuilding companies. This will result in higher product quality and opportunities to increase service content, for example through service agreements.
Scania’s business unit Engines is also well-positioned for the future with engines complying with the new emission legislation for the off-road segments that will come into force in both Europe and the US.
“As a result of the new range of SCR-engines that was presented earlier this year, we have received an increasing number of inquires from large OEMs from all over the world that today are not using Scania. Some of these OEMs have now chosen Scania engines for their off-road products,” says Lundstedt.