Reports from Japan indicate Nissan Diesel will be fitting a new low emission engine from Volvo in their medium duty trucks for the domestic market next year. The reports in the Nikkei newspaper and Bloomberg suggest the engine will be fitted in a four tonne truck.

Currently, UD use engines made by Hino as as they do not have an engine of their own to fit into this part of their truck range. The truck concerned is sold here in Australia as the MK model.

The engines are reported to be slated for introduction when the new Japanese exhaust emission rules are introduced in 2009. These latest emission rules will bring levels of nitrogen oxides and  particulate matter in the truck exhausts down to levels equivalent to Euro 6, not due for introduction here in Australia until some time after 2013.

The new engine is likely to use SCR technology to reduce emissions as both Volvo and UD are fitting the after treatment systems in their current product range both here and in Japan.

Nissan Diesel became a wholly-owned part of the Volvo group last year and this development will be the first in a process of integration of the Volvo global product throughout its truck manufacturing operation, which includes Volvo, Mack, Renault and UD.

It is too early to speculate when and if the UD fitted with the new Volvo engine would be introduced here in Australia. In terms of regulations, the new engine would not be required here for at least five years. However, Volvo will be expecting to accelerate the integration process in the next few years to reduce their reliance on rival truck manufacturers for their engines.

UD has launched an automatic transmission model as part of the line-up for its new MK range. The new medium duty trucks will be offered with the latest specification Allison 2500 series automatic transmission designed for commercial trucks with gross weights up to 15 tonnes.

Allison supplies approximately 80 percent of the world’s commercial vehicle automatic transmissions making it the dominant force in the industry with more than 40 years experience in designing, developing, manufacturing and supporting commercial vehicle automatics.

The adaptive nature of the latest generation Allison 2500 transmissions means that whether carrying out stop/start operations in a quiet urban street, driving at speed along a highway or maneuvering into a distribution centre the truck will and driver will be operating at peak efficiency.

According to UD Trucks general manager, John Bushell, research has shown that automatic transmissions in trucks will make a significant contribution to the effective and efficient operation of any distribution fleet.

“Most major operators are already aware of the advantages of automatics and many of the major transport operators have made the commitment to automatics for urban distribution work in particular,” said John Bushell.

“We have seen the growing demand for automatics and responded through our collaboration with Allison to achieve the best solution for the MK range,” he added.

“Our testing has shown significant increases in overall efficiency, durability and ease of operation, it really is a major boost for any operator,” he added.

The Allison 2500 transmission increases torque capacity for higher powered vehicles within a lighter weight package while its adaptive technology ensures that optimum performance is maintained at all times.

Allison say their research has shown that with constant drive to the wheels, a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission can complete its city based route an average of ten percent faster than one equipped with a manual or automated manual transmission.

Once on the move, electronic control of shift points and early engagement of lock-up helps the powertrain operate in its most efficient mode at all times, reducing engine speeds to deliver improved efficiency, lower emissions, less noise and reduced wear and as a result big savings that go straight to an operator’s bottom line.

Standard features on the MK’s Allison 2500 automatic includes the availability of close and wide ratio gearing and a turbine-driven PTO provision with optional neutral lock-up.

Improved productivity through full power shifts increasing numbers of pick-ups a driver can make per day. The torque converter improves performance on off-road gradients by multiplying engine torque and transferring it to the drive wheels.

UD Trucks has launched the next instalment in its updated ADR 80/02 compliant range of trucks with the Australian introduction of the new MK.

The MK broadens UD Trucks’ medium-duty line-up joining the higher end medium-duty PK9 and PK10 models and the flagship GW400 and GW470 heavy-duty trucks launched earlier this year.

There will be three MK models in the new range starting with the four-cylinder MK5 equipped with a day cab and moving up to the six-cylinder sleeper cab equipped MK6 and MK6 plus models.

A total of eight variants will be offered including leaf and air suspension models as well as a wide array of wheelbase options ranging from 3770mm to 5500mm.

The choice of wheelbases, suspensions and transmissions makes the new UD MKs more flexible and versatile for a wider range of operations without the need for major re-engineeering or chassis lengthening or reduction.

UD say they have also addressed the growing demand for automatic transmissions by offering the Allison LCT 2500 five speed automatic as an option on the MK6 models.

This is claimed to answer the growing demand for automatic trucks from major transport operators looking to increase the efficiency and productivity of city-based distribution trucks.

According to UD Trucks general manager, John Bushell, the new models deliver a more flexible approach for transport operators with high levels of productivity and efficiency.

“High levels of standard equipment and value for money as well as strong active and passive safety, fuel efficiency and clean engine technology are all part of the package we have put together for the MK5 and MK6s,” said John Bushell.

“The new MKs join the GWs and PKs we launched in Australia earlier this year and will add to UD’s solid and highly respected reputation for trucks that perform and return strongly on the investment,” he said.

“Like its bigger brothers the new MK range takes a big step up in every area, they are very impressive medium-duty trucks which will further help UD to build its market share in Australia,” he added.

“The addition of an Allison automatic option on the MK6 will greatly add to the appeal of the UD product particularly against our competitors, some of whom do not feature an automatic while others are offering an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) trucks,” said Bushell.

“The automatic is a major plus for us and we believe will be a better option than AMT in this size of truck,” he added.

The MK medium-duty models will join the new streamlined UD range in Australia in July this year completing the new look line-up, all of which easily meet the latest ADR 80/02 emission requirements and the ADR 83/00 noise regulations.

The four cylinder MK5 is powered by a 175hp/500Nm common rail turbo diesel engine that is ideally suited to a range of operations from tilt tray to inner city delivery Tautliner or pantech.

The larger variants feature a six cylinder common rail turbo diesel engine with the MK6 boasting maximum power of 228hp and torque of 686Nm. The MK6 plus features 258hp and 794Nm.

With a 10.4 tonne GVM and a GCM of 14.9 tonnes the new models underline their versatility and adaptability with a choice of either spring or air suspension on all models.

The MK5 will also have the option of three spring and two air suspension wheelbase options, MK6 will offer four spring and four air suspension wheelbase options while the MK6 plus boasts one spring and three air suspension options.

The standard equipment is a highlight with ABS anti lock brakes, EHS Easy Hill Start, air conditioning, remote central locking, cruise control and an air suspension seat amongst the extensive features list.Volvo Trucks and Yara increase AdBlue network across Australia for Euro4 and Euro5 trucks

UD Trucks has announced a new partnership with the St Kilda Football Club and will be a premium partner for the club, signing on for season 2008 with an option until the end of 2010. The deal will see the UD Trucks logo feature on the team’s media shirts, training personnel uniforms and on the media backdrops at post match press conferences.

This move follows the company’s sponsorship deal with the West Tigers NRL team in Sydney. The UD brand has traditionally been strong in rural areas but weaker in the larger metropolitan areas. Association with these two popular city teams gets the UD name into new areas.

According to UD Trucks national marketing manager Shannon Taylor, St Kilda will give UD the opportunity to reach its target customers in Melbourne as well as across Victoria and AFL audiences on a national basis.

“UD has been considering a number of AFL teams over the past year with a view to increasing our profile in Melbourne through the AFL. St Kilda offered the best options across all aspects of our marketing strategy,” said Shannon Taylor.

“St Kilda is a club on the rise and winning the NAB Cup made them the top ranked Melbourne club heading into the 2008 premiership season and it is obviously a real force within the AFL with an exciting young player list full of number one draft picks including Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo, Luke Ball and Matt Maguire. This team has now matured into a top class outfit.

“The sponsorship will give us significant TV exposure in Melbourne and nationally where we are building the brand profile of UD Trucks,” he added.