Friday, July 3, 2015

New Quester bursting with fuel-efficiency for South East Asia

UD Trucks was recently featured in Automotive World on its strong presence and commitment with Quester, the heavy duty truck range in South East Asia. UD Trucks continues to go the Extra Mile to improve fuel-efficiency to support customers’ business.

[This article was first published on and retrieved from AutomotiveWorld.com on 01 June 2015.]
New Quester bursting with fuel-efficiency for south east Asia

UD trucks has recently announced the launch of a new Quester in its heavy-duty truck range. The company suggests that the model is a result of increasing demand for fuel-efficient applications from its customers in south east Asia.

The growth market
The new Quester is designed specifically for “growth markets,” says Christophe Martin, President of UD Trucks in Asia Oceania. “Recently, with our customers in growth markets in south east Asia facing challenges such as increasing fuel prices and high operational costs, we launched Quester, designed specifically for such markets. It’s the first in a new generation of cost-effective UD Trucks, specially developed for the world of heavy-duty transportation,” he explains.

The Quester is a heavy-duty truck range that was first introduced into the market by UD Trucks during 2013.

Speaking to Automotive World, Nobuhiko Kishi, Vice President of Product Strategy, UD Trucks, lists the features that make the new Quester particularly suited for south east Asia. “We offer driveline options such as the 11-litre and 8-litre modern engines, multi-speed transmissions up to 12 speed, and single and hub reduction axles.

This, together with various cab options and axle configurations, provides a wide range of options to adapt different usages in south east Asia,” he states.

Sipping fuel
Discussing the demand from the company’s customers in south east Asia, Kishi points to the effect that fuel prices have had on the truck market. “Despite fluctuations in the fuel price, fleet operators in Asia still spend up to 50% of operating costs on fuel,” he observes. “High operational costs have had a significant effect on our customers. We support them in reducing their operational costs by many different approaches, including the development of fuel efficient trucks, encouraging fuel efficient behaviour with driver training and performing preventive maintenance in our extensive service network.”
Consequently, Kishi says that it is vitally important for UD Trucks to offer fuel-efficient models and technologies. The engines available in the new Quester – the UD GH11 and GH8 – “provide fuel economy and high drivability thanks to their high torque delivery at low engine speeds. Together with the choice of driveline, gearbox and axles, customers can specify the most suitable trucks for their applications.”

UD Trucks Quester
The new model is also equipped with a “built-in Fuel Coach” that “enables drivers to stay in the fuel-efficient engine operational range, called the ‘green zone.’ Drivers can easily monitor their driving in real-time by this fuel coaching system, with which every Quester is equipped as standard.”
Aside from the components and the various gadgets, Kishi says UD Trucks helps deliver further improvements in fuel efficiency through various other means. As well as providing support with “smart in-truck coaching and driving training,” the company “provides modern service and support solutions, including connected services based on real-time telematics. Last but not least, for aftermarket service, we provide UD Extra Mile Support, which comprises UD Genuine Service and UD Genuine Parts. It supports our customers by optimising maintenance cost and uptime as well as maintaining engines and trucks for best performance,” he adds.

Deep tradition
Will fuel-efficiency remain the most instrumental factor for UD Trucks? Kishi says that the company has “been on a quest to develop fuel-efficient technologies and products since our inception. We will continue to focus on fuel-efficient trucks for various applications that reduce not only customers’ total cost of ownership but also the environmental impact on truck transportation.”

He continues, “Our commitment to reduce fuel consumption by offering fuel-efficient trucks, together with smart and dependable aftermarket solutions, remains unchanged. We believe it is an important reason why customers choose us. We will continue to develop fuel-efficient trucks with fuel-efficient drivelines, and at the same time, we will continue to help our customers by training their drivers with smart in-truck coaching. Thanks to our deep tradition of Japanese engineering, “monozukuri” and “gemba spirit”, coupled with the technology, knowledge and resources by being part of the Volvo Group, we are confident that UD Trucks will continue to provide the best and most relevant transport solutions for today and tomorrow.”
Michael Nash