BUSMAKERS' NEWS * China - Truck factory, it’s look out Daimler-Benz
Foton is the second-largest commercial-vehicle producer in the world – and is nipping at the heels of German powerhouse Daimler-Benz
Changping,China -The Christian Science Monitor, by Peter Ford - 11 Sept 2009: ... Foton is the second-largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world, churning out 440,000 trucks, buses, and vans in the first half of this year... But what was most surprising was their founding date: 1996... This company has been going for only 13 years, and already it is snapping at the heels of the world’s biggest producer, Daimler-Benz. Messrs. Daimler and Benz lodged their first automobile patents in 1886, 123 years ago...
AMAZING and AWESOME CHINA
This kind of pace blew Kent Molen away, too. He is a long-time employee of Cummins, the US engine makers, and he came to China last year to be plant manager for the new joint venture that Cummins and Foton have set up... “When I came here in January 2008, there were 16 beams up, that’s all,” he recalls. “I was told we’d be producing engines by November, and I thought, ‘How the heck is that gonna happen?’ ” ... But it did. The first engines rolled off the line in early December. “I was absolutely amazed that this building came together so quickly,” Mr. Molen admits. “We went from ground to a producing facility in a year”... He was also pretty impressed by the cost. The million-square-foot, state-of-the-art plant designed to turn out 400,000 engines a year cost only $400 million. “That’s incredible,” he says... How much would a similar factory cost in the United States?... “I don’t know,” he replies. “Too much”... (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP - Chinese workers assemble a bus at a factory owned by Chinese auto manufacturer Foton Motor Group in Beijing Friday. China's recovery gained momentum in August as stimulus spending helped boost industrial output, investment and retail sales in the world's third-largest economy, offsetting a slump in exports)* USA & Canada - 3,000 Hybrid Buses: Daimler Buses North America Reaches Milestone with New Firm Orders
Oriskany,NY,USA & MISSISSAUGA,ONT,Canada -PRNewswire -Sept. 2, 2009: -- Daimler Buses North America announced today that sales for the Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid bus have surpassed 3,000 units - more than any other manufacturer in the world. Over 2,200 units are already in service, with an additional 850 firm orders in backlog from cities such as New York City, Seattle, Houston, Ottawa and Puerto Rico... Houston Metro is placing an additional order for 80 Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid buses for 2010 delivery. This compliments its existing fleet of 56 Orion VII hybrids which were delivered in 2008 and the 40 units that will be delivered in 2009. Another long-term customer Puerto Rico is transitioning into hybrid buses for its existing fleet of conventional diesel Orion transit buses with an order of 40 Orion VII diesel-electric hybrid buses. These will be produced and delivered in 2010... (Photo by blogto: TTC hybrid bus Orion interior)Labels: -
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