The restructuring reflects broader trends in the German automotive sector, where legacy OEMs face rising competition, high wage costs, higher energy prices and a growing urgency to adapt to the post-ICE era.

The company commemorated the establishment of its heavy truck factory – now also its headquarters – in 1955, since which date it has built more than 1.25 million trucks and 2 million cabs.

Leapfrog’s ‘Leap’-branded digital platform allows customers to turn their fleets into so-called ‘virtual power plants’ which can discharge stored energy back into the grid and generate revenue.

New Phoenix multi-fuel “super” truck range launched

The contract stipulates a firm order for two hundred buses, to be delivered beginning in 2026, plus options to acquire up to 550 more.

In the meantime, prototype development and pilot manufacturing continue as the first pilot fleets are scheduled for deployment in Hamburg in August 2025 in partnership with the German transport operator, Hamburger Hochbahn.

At the summit, Iveco announced a strategic partnership with ABB focused on high-power charging infrastructure for bus depots and opportunity charging hubs, aimed at delivering turnkey charging solutions for operators. This agreement complements the roll-out of their E‑Way fleet.

Nearly two years ago, we spoke with the chief executive officer of Imagry, Eran Ofir, about the Israeli company’s “mapless” self-driving technology and its planned on-road tests with Otokar. At the UITP global summit, held in the German city of Hamburg between 15-18 June, Truck & Bus Builder spoke with Suhail Habib, an engineer at the company, to get an update on the company’s activities.

Perhaps more significantly for Anadolu Isuzu’s international ambitions, 2025 marked its formal entry into the Saudi Arabian public transport market with a distributor agreement with New East General Trading.

These buses will be offered in both battery‑electric (e.City Gold) and hydrogen fuel‑cell (H2.City Gold) variants. Series production is expected in 2026 at its Vila Nova de Gaia plant in Portugal.

Speaking to ABB representatives at the 2025 UITP Summit, they said that for the commercial vehicle sector, this deal is significant as electrification advances into heavier classes, from terminal tractors and off-highway equipment to electric buses, the need for high-performance power conversion grows.

On display at the 2025 UITP Summit in Hamburg were two eAxles, a central drive unit for the midibus segment and a low-floor eAxle with independent suspension for heavy-duty transit bus transport segments.