The new, medium-duty Croner is UD Trucks’ latest masterpiece
YOU may have heard of the brand UD Trucks – a Japanese truck manufacturer whose founder Kenzo Adachi’s legendary vision was to “build trucks that the world needs today.” It was established in Japan in 1935 and became part of the Volvo group in 2007. It has since expanded to over 60 countries, capitalizing on its three fundamental assets: its strong Japanese heritage and craftsmanship, Volvo’s global technology and sourcing, and the brand’s robust local support with its partners.
As their founder built the company upon a mantra that implies their commitment to consistently come up with only the most timely trucks determined by the market demands of the current day, it is no surprise that one of their latest product offerings for their growth markets across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America is a highly-dependable, medium-duty truck called ‘Croner,’ after the Greek mythology’s god of time, Chronos – and holds the brand promise to keep its clients’ business moving on time, every time.
“UD Trucks believes that more time spent on the road and less time in the workshop adds up to the success of our customers’ business,” pointed out Volvo Group’s Trucks Asia President, Jacques Michel, during a presentation with the media held in Bangkok this year. “It is our aim for Croner to make every moment count, through maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime on every run our customers make,” he added.
The new Croner mediumduty truck line offers a wide range of customizable configurations (up to 21 unique configurations) to service every specific business requirement, and has options for three gross vehicle weight (GVW) models: the MKE, LKE and PKE.
The MKE (10.4-11 tons) is a compact-sized mediumduty truck that is optimized for an urban environment – offering conveniences such as better maneuverability for traversing narrow city roads; while the the LKE (12-14 tons) is a multi-purpose truck designed for in-city and cityto-city distribution – putting a premium on features that promote transport efficiency.
Meanwhile, the PKE (1517 tons) caters to businesses with heavy-duty truck usage – exploiting a robust, 6-cylinder engine for long haul deliveries and moving heavier load.
All variants come with a 6-speed manual gearbox, with the option for upgrading to a 6-speed automatic transmission available across the line. The PKE has a special option for a 9-speed manual gearbox, should it be desired. Both MKE and LKE variants come with a 2.1m sleeper cab; while the large PKE comes with a 2.3m sleeper cab.
“Croner’s automatic transmission option can be crucial for markets like South Africa where it is facing serious driver shortage due to the strenuous demands on drivers, especially on longhaul driving,” explained Senior Vice President for UD Trucks Brand and Product, Nobuhiko Kishi. Adding that “Croner can help customers attract drivers as this option provides ease of driving and reduces fatigue for both inexperienced and experienced drivers.”
Furthermore, UD Trucks believes that the convenient availability of an automatic transmission option in the Asian truck market is bound to become a game-changer in the region, as it ultimately reduces cost and downtime, because manual transmission in trucks is known to be more susceptible to wear and tear (especially to its clutch – due to the variability of drivers), in the long run.
“Croner is also one of our most fuel-efficient trucks ever,” remarked Kishi. Explaining that “It utilizes the fuel needed efficiently without waste, thanks to the new GHE engine series, automatic transmission, a built-in fuel couch, and a more aerodynamic cab which reduces the coefficient of drag (CD) more significantly by five percent.”
The Croner line is powered by UD Truck’s new (common rail, fuelinjection) GH E series of 5-liter and 8-liter engines, delivering high torque from low rev with flat torque curves. The 5-liter 4-cylinder GH5E diesel engine spits out 180hp for its Euro-3 version, 210hp for its Euro3/ Euro4 version, and 240hp for its Euro-4. Meanwhile, the 8-liter 6-cylinder GH8E diesel engine delivers a more powerful 250hp Euro 3/4, and 280hp Euro 3/4m, making it ideal for transporting larger items and heavier loads, usually meant for construction work.
Finally, UD Trucks prides itself with a comprehensive set of UD Extra Mile Support Services, which include: the availability of UD genuine service and parts; UD driver training, and UD Trust Service Agreements. And more impressively, UD Trucks also offers an awesome professional telematics solution that can provide clients with real-time reports of their truck fleets – which the client company may ultimately use to identify weaknesses and specifically find solutions for.
UD trucks also offers UD workshops, which include driver training – a truck handover introduction, fuel efficiency and safety training, and several “Securing Cargo” courses, amongst others – because the brand strongly believes in the philosophy that investing in the knowledge and skill-set of drivers is just as critical as building good quality trucks.
The production of the allnew Croner truck line will be carried out at the UD Trucks Bangkok Factory in Bang Na, Thailand. Initial units will be sold directly to the Thai local market while future units will be exported to growth markets within Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
Will the Croner be coming to the Philippines? The company is keeping mum on that business direction. Frankly I don’t see any reason why such a locally appropriate vehicle won’t reach our shores.