No new Daimler distributor for NZ
A DRAWN-OUT PROCESS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO appoint a new Daimler Trucks distributor for New Zealand has now been abandoned.
Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific revealed on December 30 that its plan for representation of Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz trucks here has changed….dramatically.
Thirty months ago the company announced that it would be negotiating with “a number of parties” in NZ to take over the distribution rights here – replacing its own NZ operation.
But now Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead says that the company will instead be “working directly with dealerships to ensure local customers are able to receive optimum support.”
The move, which starts on April 1, is said to be “a new chapter in NZ” for the company: “Dedicated NZ market staff will be appointed and will share their time between NZ and Australia, working directly with each dealership.
“The more agile NZ model will ensure customers and dealers have a more direct line to Daimler Truck AG in Portland and Stuttgart, through the Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific operation,” Whitehead says.
They will also be able to better leverage the Australian-based company’s “comprehensive back office operational support systems.”
And he adds: “This is by far the best outcome for Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner customers in NZ. The change we are announcing will allow us to provide the highest level of support for our customers and comprehensive dealership network for the long term in NZ.”
Daimler says it “has also moved to improve the dealership network for the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands on both islands as part of the new commitment” – with details to follow closer to April.
Whitehead says that this is “an exciting time for Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner in NZ: We already have the leading cabover product in the market, thanks to Mercedes-Benz Actros, and we will soon introduce the most advanced conventional truck in the country – the Freightliner Cascadia.
“This is the best product line-up we have ever had,” he adds.
Daimler Trucks’ representation in NZ has been up in the air since Whitehead’s announcement in August 2017, that it was looking for a new distributor.
He said at the time: “Our local team on the ground has done a fantastic job, but we think having a distributor with closer ties to the NZ market could deliver additional benefits for the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands.”
The aim, he added, was to conclude the process by the end of 2017. Since then there have been some major developments within the Daimler Trucks dealer network in NZ – the most recent the announcement late last year that Keith Andrews Trucks had become an authorised Freightliner dealer for the North Island (in addition to its Merc dealer status in Northland and the Waikato, and FUSO representation in Northland, Auckland and the Waikato).
That sees Keith Andrews Trucks now competing for Freightliner sales directly with North Island-wide Freightliner and Merc trucks, vans and utes dealer, Trucks & Trailers.
And just prior to the news of the KAT expansion, Trucks & Trailers announced that it had purchased South Island-wide Daimler dealer Prestige Commercial Vehicles, fulfilling “an important objective” in its ambition to be “a leading heavy and light commercial vehicle supplier across NZ.”
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TRUMPETED AS “THE BEST OF THE BEST,” FREIGHTLINER’S Cascadia conventional – the biggest-selling truck in North America – is now on sale here.
The right-hand-drive Australasian Cascadia, which was developed in an $AUS100million project, was launched in Sydney in November – with Daimler Truck & Bus Australia Pacific announcing that “the conventional revolution is under way.”
The order book opened for the Cascadia, which is reckoned to be “the most advanced conventional truck” in this part of the world, in an unveiling that was given rock-star status with the presence of Daimler Trucks global boss Martin Daum and the head of Daimler Trucks North America Roger Nielsen, plus a group of senior Freightliner execs.
The reveal of the Down Under Freightliner – the same model as the current North American Cascadia – was witnessed by Aussie and Kiwi dealers, customers and journalists in a two-day launch that included a customers’ Sydney harbour cruise, an Opera House media conference and a spectacular showbiz-style dinner reveal.
The final unveiling saw eight Cascadia tractor units, accompanied by a laser light show, driven through the midst of a hall filled with hundreds of invitation-only diners.
The Cascadias now on sale are 6x4s (twin-steers will follow, but with no projected timeframe), powered by two new-generation Detroit engines that comply with the US GHG 17 exhaust emissions standard (which Freightliner says exceeds the Euro 6 standard), using an enhanced SCR system and upgraded common rail injection.
The new 16-litre DD16 comes with up to 600 horsepower/447 kilowatts and 2050 lb ft/27790 Newton metres of peak torque, while a new 13-litre DD13 has up to 505hp/376kW and 1850 lb ft/2508Nm. The Detroit DT12 automated manual is the standard transmission, with an 18-speed Roadranger manual optional.
Initially the Cascadia is available in 116-inch or 126-inch bumper to back of cab units, with 36-inch to 60-inch raised roof cab options.
The Cascadia bristles with new technology, its Detroit Assurance 5.0 safety suite (which is offered here as standard spec) including adaptive cruise control, active emergency braking, rear-end collision avoidance, lane departure warning, intelligent headlight high beam control, automatic wipers and headlights…and more.
GPS-assisted cruise and intelligent powertrain management combines with smooth aerodynamic design for what Freightliner says is class-leading fuel efficiency.
The new Freightliner models also come with Detroit Connect, delivering NZ buyers remote vehicle updates, fault code diagnosis and repair recommendations, OEM analysis of fuel economy and safety performance, as well as traditional telematics services such as GPS route tracking and incident alerts.
It makes it, says Daimler, the most advanced conventional truck on the market here.
A dedicated fleet of nine trucks running the Australasian spec have been exhaustively tested in Australia and the US – in addition to “millions of miles of on-highway testing” already conducted for the North American model.
Daum said at the launch that “there is no such thing as a world truck. We listened to our customers in Australia and NZ and developed this great truck specifically for them.”
Freightliner Australia Pacific director Stephen Downes said the company has “worked tirelessly to ensure this is the right truck for NZ and Australian operators and is ready for uniquely tough local conditions.
“We run our trucks hotter, harder and longer so we needed to make sure the Australian and NZ Cascadia would be up to the task.”
New safety features include optional Sideguard Assist, which warns if the truck’s trailer could hit objects such as power poles when turning left or if the truck is about to merge left into an occupied lane. A radar/camera system can even detect a pedestrian and autonomously brake the truck to a halt to avoid an accident. There’s also a head-protecting airbag.
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