Scania Group unveiled its new truck range, Next Generation Scania, on Tuesday after 10 years of making and 10 million kilometers of test drive, with $2.4 billion worth of investment, celebrating its 125th anniversary of operation.
Mammut Group, Scania trucks’ main partner in Iran, told Financial Tribune that it would unveil the new generation of Scania trucks S730 and R500 in 2019.
“It is undoubtedly the biggest investment in Scania’s 125-year history,” said Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Scania, during the unveiling ceremony held in Paris in front of 1,500 guests and globally to the online community, through various online channels.
Game Changer
“Today we are not just launching a new truck range but also a unique, ingenious toolbox of sustainable solutions in the form of products and services that Scania is first in the industry to be able to deliver,” Henriksson said on the sidelines of the event.
“Our new range of products and services redefine the term ‘premium’ within the truck industry.”
The new truck range offers technologies, services, and insights that will help truck owners gain an overview of both their costs and revenues, which could be named as the most noticeable feature of the new generation of Scania trucks.
Among the improvements Scania is introducing, one that is particularly noticeable is a 5% reduction in diesel fuel consumption, thanks to factors such as improved power trains and better aerodynamics.
“Our main goal is to help our customers achieve sustainable profitability, regardless of assignment type or the conditions in which they work,” Henriksson said.
“Our customers’ vehicles always constitute a link within the bigger picture; Scania embraces this through quality, accessibility and a range of physical or connected services.”
Production of the new trucks starts immediately at Scania’s final assembly plant in Sodertalje. Initially, the focus will be on vehicles and services for long-haul transportation, but additional options will be continually introduced as more Scania plants readjust and additional options emerge.
The introductions will continue after the first unveiling in Europe, with more customer options, before the entire process concludes with simultaneous launches on markets outside Europe.
The company is also planning to ask 40,000 customers to test drive the new vehicles themselves in connection with the launches, to introduce to Scania’s entire range, covering everything from sustainability optimization to financing, insurance and maintenance.
Steve Pope, a British truck driver, who has been testing the new truck, said he had a fantastic experience driving the truck.
“It’s totally comfortable; I feel like home,” he said, noting that without putting customers’ need into the truck, the company would never find out what is right or wrong.
Online communications, the media and Scania’s approximately 1,700 dealers in more than 100 countries would be Scania’s other sources of insight in order to enhance the new truck range.
More Trucks for Iran
Mammut Industrial group is Scania’s official representative in Iran offering CBU and CKD trucks.
Mammut Diesel, a subsidiary of Mammut Group, and a dealership in Tehran are the other official representatives of the company in Iran. It is planning to introduce a wide range of trucks in Iran by 2019, according to the company’s Public Relations Office.
However, no Iranian driver is set to be among the 40,000 truckers testing the next generation of Scania trucks.
Henriksson has been successively traveling to Iran since the lifting of the sanctions, mainly to preserve Iran’s noticeable market for trucks.
Earlier in spring, Scania managed to impress visitors at Tehran Auto Exhibition by offering a special sport model.
The implementation of the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, has helped Iran reestablish links to the global financial and banking systems. It allows Iran to attract foreign investment and knowhow, apart from engaging in joint ventures and deals with international companies.
According to a report by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the country needs 15,000 new trucks each year to renovate its fleet.
“More than 4,000 cargo transport companies are active in Iran, carrying over 380 million tons of commodities nationwide per year. In addition, some 860 companies transport over 4.6 million tons from domestic ports to destinations in European, Central Asian and neighboring countries,” the report said.
Usually European-derived trucks in Iran appear similar to those in Europe. However, there are stark differences when it comes to cabin fixings and technology.
Features like automation, drivers’ sleep alerts and high-tech communications systems, which could reduce both the risk of accidents and drivers’ labor, are omitted from the local offerings.
With the final price being a key issue, many in the domestic industry hope to get the new models as cheap as possible.
Truck manufacturers claim to have changed their approach toward Iran’s market, though we will have to wait until 2019 to find out.
