A completely new truck range described by Henrik Henriksson, President and CEO of Scania as the biggest investment in Scania’s 125 year history encapsulating more than 10 years of development work and investments globally, has been launched onto the South Africa market. And at the heart of all the development work into this new range has been the desire to cater to the specific needs of today’s customer.
At Scania our main focus is always to give our customers the tools they need to achieve profitability in their business and in 2019, we expand on this focus and reach a milestone by launching our new truck series. Delivery of the new trucks begins immediately after the launch event. It’s normally a 15 to 20 year cycle before you go to market with a totally new vehicle. It’s an exciting period for us,” says Raimo Lehtiö, Managing Director of Scania Southern Africa.
With this new range, Scania is extending its offering and can now supply more performance stages, connectivity and a comprehensive palette of productivity-enhancing services as well as sustainable transportation solutions that are precisely customised for each type of customer in the highly competitive transportation industry. The promise Scania offers is that customers will always be able to carry out their work in the most sustainable and profitable way, regardless of the industry and area of application.
Key features of the New Truck Generation are:
- New design and shape of the front and chassis for improved aerodynamics.
- Powertrain updates resulting in exceptional fuel efficiency and driving performance.
- Extended storage options.
- Enhanced driver’s seat adjustment options.
- Maintenance based on each customer’s operation so as to increase uptime and profitability.
- Unique safety features such as roll-over curtain side airbags,
- More space behind the seats for wider beds.
- New infotainment system with a 7” touch screen.
The assembly of the new trucks has started in South Africa and the old PGR range is being strategically phased out. The new truck range carries with it a unique toolbox of sustainable solutions in the form of products and services that Scania globally will be the first to deliver in the market. Along with a comprehensive variety of applications and solutions, the segments that are being launched for the Southern Africa market are:
- Long Haul
- Construction/Mining
- Urban Distribution
The new G Series:
The new G-series trucks are highly adaptable with outstanding drivability and visibility. This range offers a well-balanced, all round premium cab with an enlarged set of options which offers the opportunity to tailor-make the G-series to perfection to suite any business’ specific needs.
The P Series:
With the new P-series trucks, customers receive low weight with great visibility and drivability that is well balanced to suit specific inner-city needs. This is the most versatile cab range which is ideal for urban and regional operations and is well proven for construction and other demanding conditions.
The S Series
The new S-series raises the stakes in long-distance driver comfort. With an interior that’s a haven of luxury. The flat floor, extended storage facilities and exceptional view from the driver position all add to its unique appeal.
The R Series:
The distinct R-Cab is sturdier yet sharper than ever with an athletic body that redefines premium in the long haulage space. The new R series perfectly fits life on the road.
Key advancements in the new truck range’s Automotive Technology include:
- Improved Fuel Efficiency.
- Enhanced Driver Experience.
- Refined Connectivity.
- Upgraded Safety Features.
Solutions for customer needs
With the introduction of Scania’s new truck range, the most developed and customer-centric approach is also instituted as they enable solutions offerings which are fully tailor-made for each customer’s specific business need.
Each truck is a production unit. The better adapted it is for its unique assignment and the more supported it is by applicable customised services, the greater the customers’ chances are of getting a return on their investment. The customer’s finances are determined by a range of different factors. Some of them are relatively simple to control. Others are influenced by factors that lie outside their control or are so complex in their nature that the consequences can be difficult for an individual to identify and address.
Scania’s starting point to providing a sustainable solution to customers is TOE, Total Operating Economy. The difference between TOE and the traditional TCO, where only costs are reflected, is that the revenue side of a customer’s finances are also weighed in. The way payment for a transportation assignment is calculated (by weight, time used, mileage, and so on) is a good example of a factor that must be taken into account when the vehicle and its related services are being specified.
Scania has concentrated its entire combined expertise on trucks, optimised transportation solutions, industry conditions and actual customer needs in the new sales support system that the company has developed. This toolbox is the result of several years’ work compiling, analysing and consolidating knowledge, insights and customer needs with regard to the global, multifaceted transportation and truck industry.
One size fits no-one
The importance of being able to design a completely optimised vehicle and support both its ownership and use with related services like financing, service contracts and fleet management services is difficult to overestimate in today’s competitive transportation world. Scania is one of the pioneers in connecting trucks in order to help optimise use and availability, among a host of other things.
The offering Scania is now introducing will give all existing customers better support and opportunities than ever before to achieve maximum return on their truck investments. This product range and related services, combined with the way Scania has equipped itself to help customers, represents a major development stage in the industry. Scania is now becoming even better at offering support to customers when it comes to the one business they really care about – their own.
“This new range present products and services that will bring Scania to new levels regarding market shares and carry us far into the next decade,” says Henriksson.
