Why do tech startups tend to concentrate in certain countries and regions? Or, to put it another way, why are some places more favourable to the growth of new companies than others? These are questions that bear greater relevance to the commercial vehicle industry today, as manufacturers search for partners to work with on the digital technologies which will make our trucks and buses smarter and more connected.

Toyota Tsusho Nexty Electronics Europe GmbH will supply Toyota’s proprietary fuel cell to Pepper Motion, including auxiliary components.

Sales of light-duty buses and coaches (7.5t & below) rose by 24.6% to register 14,438 units in the first fiscal quarter (April to June) of 2023, up from 11,590 units in Q1 of FY2022.

Indonesia is Fuso’s biggest overseas market and both factories in Jakarta have contributed significantly to the growth of the Fuso brand outside of Japan.

The German company plans to develop 400-volt and 800-volt variants for its electric drive systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

The company has broken ground on a new (EUR 85 million) 240,000 square foot (22,000 square meters) distribution centre in the city of Massbach, Bayern, Germany to support parts supply to DAF customers in Germany, Switzerland and France.

Sales of light-duty trucks (goods carrier vehicles of GVW ≤ 7.5t) in the first quarter (April to June) of fiscal year 2023-24 decreased by 8.9% to 124,834 units, down from 137,044 units in same period of Q1/FY2022-23.

The test track now comprises a three-mile course, with new road and terrain features to test out the dynamic steering system in Volvo trucks.

The new truck will go into production in Q4 2023 at the DAF factory in Eindhoven. The vehicles are equipped with a powerful e-motor offering nominal power in 120kW or 190kW ratings and a nominal torque rating of 950 and 1,850Nm respectively (2,600 and 3,500Nm peak performance).  

Shenu Agarwal, MD and CEO, Ashok Leyland, said: "We are immensely proud to have secured these orders from the Indian Army. The Defence business has been a strong pillar of growth for us, and this win further establishes our leadership in Defence mobility vehicles business."

The company has produced and delivered over 28,000 units to date and, of these, around 85% are used for waste disposal applications, mostly across Europe.

The company announced that after signing an agreement to supply an Italian public procurement company with 80 e-Atak buses in 2021, it is set to provide another 320 electric minibuses, over the course of the next 18 months. The agreement covers Karsan’s six-metre e-Jest electric bus and the eight-metre e-Atak.