On 10 April, members of the press descended on the Flemish city of Roeselare to visit a new bus factory operated by Dutch company VDL Bus & Coach. Ostensibly, they were there to report on the factory itself and the ribbon cutting ceremony which marked its official opening, but I suspect that the local media were hunting for information on an entirely different topic. Indeed, the CV trade journalists hardly spoke of anything else: the bankruptcy of commercial vehicle manufacturer Van Hool and the prospect of a rescue by VDL.

With more than 100 locations authorised to sell and service its electric vehicles, 30% of Navistar’s dealer network is now EV certified.

In the period January to March 2024, truck production reached 29,327 units, an increase of 19.7% over the 24,497 vehicles manufactured in the same period in 2023 according to the National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (ANFAVEA).

The truck covered a ten-kilometre-long route along the A9 motorway in Bavaria whilst being driven by a Level 4 autonomous technology developed in-house.

Four minibuses – Ford ‘E-Transit’ vans retrofitted with Perrone’s ‘TONY’ self-driving hardware – will transport passengers on a 10.8-mile route through the city of Detroit, connecting Michigan Central Station (set to reopen this June) and the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design.

Production of bus and coach chassis increased by 61.6% to 6,490 units in the first quarter of 2024 compared with 4,105 in the first quarter of the same period in 2023, according to data supplied by ANFAVEA.

The new warehouse investment has been a result of significant and sustained growth in the Asia Pacific market as the company looks to drive future growth.

An engineer by training and with MBAs in the areas of Marketing and Business, Susini has extensive experience in the international automotive industry, where he held the position of president of Yamaha in Brazil.

“The supply to Expresso Nordeste confirms the brand's growth potential," said Danilo Fetzner, director of IVECO BUS for Latin America.

Forsberg has worked at Scania since 2001 and has held several roles in the company’s research & development department, including Head of Truck Chassis Development.

Both truck models boast cataphoresis chassis coatings for corrosion protection, front-rear disc brakes, adjustable driver seats with air suspension, and advanced driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and electronic stability control.

Investment is for initiatives in two primary locations: The Randon branded semi-trailer and railway wagon assembly plant in Caxias do Sul and the Motion Control manufacturing facility, also in Caxais do Sul, which operates under the Frasle Mobility brand name.