Aumark’s new start
FOTON IMPORTER CEO ROGER JORY RECKONS THAT THE Chinese truckmaker’s new Aumark S light- duty model is a night and day i mprovement on its predecessor. Whereas the former Aumark C was positioned more as an alternative to a “top- end used i mport….” the all- new S model is targeted at competing with brand- new, established Japanese light-duty trucks.
Jor y says t hat t he Aumark S BJ1078 4x2 delivers a combination of the new – including a much bigger “super cab” – and the same 3.8- litre 115 kilowatt Cummins ISF engine and ZF Ecolite 6S500 ( MT) six- speed manual gearbox as before.
“So i t’s still got all that really good gear in it.”
The new model also comes with a f ull air brake system (including parking brake) and 24-volt electrical system.
And, Jory reckons, he has “received direct feedback from a fleet operator that the Aumark S is better built and designed
than some of the Japanese trucks they operate.”
Jory, CEO of New Zealand Foton agent Anglesea Vehicle Distributors, points out t hat t he Foton brand has been i n existence f or 24 years. It rated as China’s best- selling lightduty truck make for the first eight months of 2020 and is involved in joint ventures with enginemaker Cummins, truckmaking giant Daimler ( specifically on t he heavy- duty Auman EST- A)… and with ZF.
But in NZ, Jory concedes, “we’ve got a long way to go though, if we’re really honest.”
Foton’s NZ market presence is so far, he says, very small: “We’re a minor player and it takes time to build that.” But, he adds, “this truck i s opening new doors for us.”
Jory reckons that Foton was one of the fastest growing truck brands in NZ in 2019 (in fact, it sold 81 trucks, compared to 53 in 2018 – an improvement of over 52%... second behind fellow Chinese truck make Sinotruk, which clocked a 1 89% growth).
And Foton’s result was achieved despite the Aumark S only arriving on the market in the latter part of the year, with the 12- tonne Aumark selling a little longer.
But growth, Jory reckons, is NOT the primary aim: “Our focus is to deliver our plan, to continue to build our network and deliver a good sustainable business.”
Although the Aumark S’ impact on the market has been “incredibly strong,” it still takes time to build its sales: “It’s doing the hard yards. You have to talk to the right people and put the product in front of them.”
He says that the fact it is making an impact can be seen, for instance, in a trend away from the Au mark Cs, which primarily were sold with Chinese-built ready-to-work steel trays–to the S models, which have all had their bodies built in NZ.
That, adds Jory ,“says tome that we’ve now moved it into the mainstream …. it’ s now for serious truckers–we’ re not just the landscaper or handyman’ s truck.
“And it’ s a truck that we now feel confident going out and talking to fleet s about. The big thing for us is that this is an all-new model–it’ s not a face lift. You can even measure the chassis rails–they’ re a different width .”
Jory lists other positives with the new Au mark, including a driver’ s door that opens to 90 degrees, plus illuminated steps
–both making it easy to get in and out and“living with the truck a much better experience.”
He reckons that it has one of the widest cab sin the class and says that the super cab is so roomy( also with so much storage) that when he demonstrated it“to a couple of rental fleets …. that’ s one of the things that surprised them. They’ve even gone and got three people and put them across the front .”
In addition to its wide cab, the Au mark S has a 12.2- metre turning circle :“It’s one of those surprise and delight things. On paper it looks good but when you experience it you understand what it means.
“When you’ re driving it around town–and this-sized truck is an around-town truck…–the tight turning circle is a big deal .”
The user-friendly cab has a two-way adjustable steering column, with electric and heated mirrors.
It comes with three driving modes( power, basic and economy) that control throttle response and an analogue and digital dash, displaying info including speed, average fuel economy, battery voltage and air pressure, plus fuel and Ad Blue gauges. Bluetooth is standard, as is a hill start assist system and provision for a PTO.
Despite the fact that the Au mark S doesn’t have an air bag, Jory reckons that safety features are“a big thing for us .”
It does have an ECE 29- compliant cab, a lane departure warning system, cruise control, an engine brake and Wabco air foundation brakes, including an air-operated park brake.
Jory says that gives the Au mark an advantage over some light-duty rivals that have card an shaft parking brakes.
Its spec sheet also has a bunch of safety acronyms–ABS, EBD, ASR, ESP, TPMS ( ie anti- lock braking system, electronic brake force distribution, anti-s kid reduction, electronic stability programme and ty re pressure management system )... plus daytime running lights.
What Foton needs now to grow the make in NZ, says Jory, are more models–with the 8495 kg GVM BJ 1078, the first Au mark S, now joined by the BJ1088, with an 8995 kg GVM and a longer wheelbase.
To get a taste of the Au mark S NZ Truck& Driver tester Hayden Woolston and I mostly spend time in it( appropriately enough) around town in Hamilton, the steel drop side rt raybodied model toting a 1000- litre /1000 kg tank of water.
Woolston’ s initial impressions are positive and confirm what Jory says about the ca band getting in and out of it :“Access is really good, with a grab handle on the front pillar. The cab is a lot larger than you’d expect for a three-seater town truck .”
Inside he’s immediately able to get comfortable–and the environment is nice enough :“The trim is durable and things are well laid out. There’ s plenty of air vent sand heaps of legroom.” The footpedals are close together, but he says they’re actually no problem to use.
He likes the truck’ s visibility :“The five mirrors are big but don’t obstruct your view–and there’ s a reverse camera as standard.”
It also has a reverse warning buzzer and rear parking sensors.
The Cummins ISF engine produce sit speak 115 kW of power at 2600 rpm and 500 Nm of maximum torque from 1200 rpm and above( up to 1900)– and around the city streets
Woolston finds himself upshifting the ZF Ecolite manual at around 2400 rpm and letting it lug down to 1100 rpm before downshifting.
At 50 km/ h in fourth the IS F rev sat 1900 and drops to 1400 with a shift to fifth. Woolston reckons that it feels quite heavy in its shifting, but it is also smooth and the gears are easy to find.
The air-boosted clutch is“nice and soft and the gearbox is really good .” The brakes, he says, are“a little snatchy–bu ta lot of little trucks are like that .”
We duck into an empty car parks ohec an try out the turning circle–and is impressed with that …. although not so much with the steering itself :“It’s a lot better than before–but still a little bit loose. I’ m having to constantly move the steering wheel to correct it–there’ s still too much movement .”
A smallish hill affords the chance to see how well the hill start assist system works. Sure, the gradient isn’ t that steep –and we’ve only got around a one-ton ne payload. But it does hold us no problem and the clutch, gearbox and Cummins combine for an easy lift off. The ISF has plenty of pull as we continue up the hill.
While Woolston concedes that the steering is much better than on the old Aumark, he reckons i t’s “still not great.”
While the foundation brakes took a bit of getting used to around town, at highway speeds they don’t seem so bad – and the engine brake is definitely noticeable.
On the Waikato Expressway, the Foton has no problem
His feedback on the steering has been passed on to Foton by Jory.....
picking up speed, Woolston letting it rev out to 2500 before up shifting. It settles into pat 2300 rpm.
He reports that the“cruise control is easy to set and the speed is adjustable, using the button son the steering wheel .” He changes lanes without indicating and the lane-keep alert beeps–although he feels that its warning does come a little slowly…. and late.
The Express way is pretty bumpy in places, but the multi-leaf spring suspension feels good for a half-loaded truck: The driver can feel the road surface, but the ride is not overly bouncy.
At Ngaruawahia, we turn around and return to the city, Woolston impressed with the way the Au mark S handles–but still unimpressed with the steering …. improved ,“but still not there.”
His feedback on the steering has been passed on to Foton by Jory, who says the factory has now reported back“that you can adjust the steering box via a tension bolt.
“We made the change on the test t ruck and we noticed the difference when we drove it. We’ re aware of it now and have informed our dealers to check it too .” T&D
This Aumark S BJ1078 4x2 has a an 8.5t GVM, a “super cab,” a 3.8-litre 115kw Cummins ISF engine and a ZF Ecolite 6S500 six-speed manual gearbox