SODERTALJE, Sweden, April 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Scania will soon put an end to a century-long design concept. Sales of the bonneted T-model have declined during the past 10 years and it is no longer defendable to continue developing and producing it. Production will be phased out by October 2005.
"The trend in all our markets is clearly in favour of forward-control trucks. Length regulations and productivity requirements on a competitive market have put an end to the market for bonneted trucks in most parts of the world. With the addition of more robust options in Scania's new truck range, we provide forward-control trucks that can perform all types of transport tasks at least as efficiently as a bonneted counterpart," says Group Vice President Gunnar Rustad, responsible for Scania Sales and Services worldwide.
"Globally, Scania sold less than 1,000 T-trucks in 2004 and this is what has tipped the scales. Volumes have halved in Europe and slumped by 90 percent in Latin America over the past decade. The T-model will be phased out globally by October this year," concludes Gunnar Rustad.
Read more about the history of Scania's bonneted trucks and view a picture gallery at www.scania.com.
Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. A growing proportion of the company's operations consists of products and services in the financial and service sectors, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Employing 30,000 people, Scania operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2004, invoiced sales totalled SEK 56.7 billion and the net income amounted to SEK 4.1 billion.
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-0- Per-Erik Nordstrom, Manager Product Affairs tel. +46 8 55385577 email per-erik.nordstrom@scania.com