Startling claims were made by two panellists on the mainstage of the Anaheim convention centre on the first day of the ACT Expo. The first – Peter Ludwig – announced that software-defined vehicles will make today’s vehicles look as outmoded as the steam train. The second claim came from David Liu, who said that self-driving vehicles will be the industry’s greatest invention since the diesel engine. These men have business interests in the development of software-defined and autonomous vehicles; we would expect them to say as much. A moderate response to the advent of these technologies came from Sherry Sanger – executive vice president of strategy and marketing at Penske Transportation Solutions – who sat on a different panel: she warned delegates not to rashly take up a new technology or “solution” without first having a clearly-defined problem for it to solve.

Series production of the fifth-generation OptiRide began last year for an unnamed European commercial vehicle manufacturer; now, ZF is also supplying the system to Hyundai.

Engines will be used in Australian army vehicles.

Frigo King is of Guaramirim (SC), Brazil and specializes in equipment for carriage of perishable and sensitive cargo in refrigerated trucks.