Ian Foley, CEO of Equipmake Ltd, based in Norwich, UK, has welcomed the inclusion of electric buses in new UK operator grants, but calls for more incentives to encourage operators to transition to zero-emission vehicles.

Ashok Leyland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with retailer Mahindra First Choice Wheels to offer a service to customers for facilitating an exchange, proper disposal of old commercial vehicles and assistance with purchase of a new vehicle - in anticipation of the offical scrappage policy of old vehicles entering into effect in FY 2023.

Sales figures by semi-trailer brand for 2021, published by the Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (ANFIA), show the predominance of foreign companies in the Italian trailer market.

V Orlandi SpA is an Italian manufacturer known for its various components for connecting tractor units to semi-trailers. As it happens, so is its parent company SAF-Holland SE, which acquired Orlandi in 2018. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that SAF-Holland is currently merging Orlandi more closely with its own business operations, with the aim of combining them into a single business unit for towing systems.

The startling ambition of Evum Motors GmbH is evinced by its name. It is derived from the Latin word aevum which, among other things, means “eternity” – a grandiose claim for a company which is only five years old. But what Evum Motors may lack in experience is made up for by its sheer confidence: confidence, that is, in a unique proposition which might well sidestep and get ahead of the more conventional designs of the commercial vehicle giants.

Benalu SA is a formidable presence in its home territory of France. The specialist manufacturer of aluminium tippers and moving floor semi-trailers claims that it controls 32% of the tipper market in France; a marked contrast to its performance in Italy where it sold just 30 units from its entire portfolio in 2021.

The Pommier Group of Cergy-Pontoise, France is diligently working to expand the range of products that it is well known for – couplings, protection, fixings, locks, and lights for all kinds of truck and trailer bodywork.

Tecnokar Trailers Srl is one of the major players in the Italian trailer market. As of 2021, it is fifth place in the semi-trailer market, with a 7.4% share, down only slightly on the previous year.

The E-Tech Master OptiModale is a battery-electric box truck with two compartments which open to reveal storage and charging spaces for an electric cargo bike and a parcel-carrying drone.

Where other bus and coach builders have suffered during the past two years of pandemic restrictions on mobility and leisure, Iles Bus UK Ltd has thrived, thanks to a canny alteration to its product strategy. 

The Quantron Qargo 4 EV, unveiled at a press event at its headquarters, is a 4.5t truck with a 3.3m wheelbase, giving it greater manoeuvrability and a smaller turning radius for last-mile applications in inner-city areas.

Scania Ltd, the UK-subsidiary of Scania AB, based in Milton Keynes, has launched Scania Go, the firm’s new programme for used vehicles. The scheme is designed to bring peace of mind to customers purchasing used vehicles from Scania UK.