Here are five things worth knowing today:
1. VW ready to enter US trucks market
Reuters reports that Volkswagen announced it is ready to make an acquisition for its truck business in North America if the right opportunity comes along, despite the cost of its emissions cheating scandal. The head of the trucks division Andreas Renschler told Reuters that VW’s absence from the North American trucks market “was something he wanted to address over the longer term, as he seeks to build a global business to challenge rivals Daimler and Volvo.” Reuters has more.
2. Swift, Werner report steep declines
In Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News from the Wall Street Journal, Swift Transportation and Werner Enterprises reported steep declines in earnings for the second quarter. According to the report, the companies have been restructuring their operations “to meet a freight market plagued by weak demand and excess capacity.” In addition, Union Pacific, the largest North American freight railroad, is also adjusting its spending plans due to a smaller freight market.
3. Tesla’s electric vehicles in the works
Tech Crunch reports that Tesla is working on a heavy-duty semi-truck and a high passenger-density urban transport that would operate in cities and fit the role of a city bus. Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk said the electric vehicles will be ready to show to the public as early as next year. Tech Crunch has more.
4. GM, Isuzu end pickup deal
Reuters reports that General Motors and Isuzu have agreed to stop working together on developing midsize pickups made in Asia. According to the report, GM said it will focus on the higher end of the market, while Isuzu will continue selling commercial vehicles. The automakers announced Friday that they had canceled their pickup deal and added that other collaboration agreements, including one for commercial vehicles in the U.S., remain intact.
5. Trends in trucking
Weight saving, autonomous trucks, CO2 reduction, electronics and networking. Those are just some of the latest trends that have come up for the trucking industry this year. An Auto Service World report breaks down some of the other big trends within the industry. It’s worth a quick read.
