Capital Equipment News

6 / 44

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS APRIL 2016 4
Manufactured in Brazil and form-
ing part of MAN AG’s multi-brand
truck and bus portfolio, Volkswa-
gen (VW) heavy and extra heavy commer-
cial vehicles are gaining market share in
emerging economies in Africa, following the
success of the brand in Latin America.
MAN Latin America (ML) is the largest truck
manufacturer in Latin America. It has led
the truck market in Brazil for 10 consecu-
tive years and is a leading supplier of com-
mercial vehicles and bus chassis for growth
markets, with one of the most advanced
production facilities worldwide for trucks
and buses. The VW Constellation range of
workhorses has been specially engineered
to meet the demands of niche trucking ap-
plications in southern Africa.
“The VW Constellation range is extremely
versatile, coming in both truck-tractor and
rigid derivatives, with both 6x2 and 4x2 axle
configurations, making it the ideal choice
for the medium and on-highway distribution
segments,” says Dave van Graan, Head of
Truck Sales, MAN Truck & Bus South Africa.
“Predominantly, our VW customers to date
use the VW Constellation for volume van,
dropside, tautliner, refrigerated and car-car-
rier applications. This clearly demonstrates
both the volume and weight-carrying capa-
bilities of the range.”
Citing reliability and fuel economy as key
attractions of the range, van Graan adds
that the Constellation range has been op-
timised through prudent engineering of
various driveline components to broaden
its appeal to the road freight industry in
South Africa.
The range has established itself over time
in South Africa and MAN Truck and Bus has
taken note of customer feedback to make
improvements where necessary. Axle up-
grades, along with wheelbase optimisation
on all models, make the range more versa-
tile and efficient, especially for medium to
long-distance distribution applications, as
well as the tipper market.
The VW Constellation range includes the
19.320 4x2 truck-tractor and rigid-chassis
freight carrier derivatives: the 13.180 4x2
freight carrier, the 15.180 4x2 freight
carrier, the 17.250 4x2 freight carrier and
the 24.250 6x2 freight carrier.
According to Livingstone Mulaudzi, Head
of Product Management at MAN Truck &
Bus South Africa, “The VW Constellation
range has great potential to service a
number of niche applications in both medi-
um and long-haul distribution applications.
The VW Constellation 19.320 has a gross
combination mass of 44 tons, which puts
it ahead of most rival 4x2 truck-tractors as
far as payload and drawing capacity are
concerned.”
MAN is targeting the removals segment as
a key new market, as well as other ‘vol-
ume-based’ cargo hauliers.
“The VW Constellation 24.250 freight carri-
er has a longer wheelbase at 5.819 m. This
provides a better platform for various truck
bodies making it the ideal solo freight carri-
er unit. It is also specified to tow a draw-bar
trailer, which makes it an attractive option
for operators seeking optimum payload
productivity, like long-haul pantech applica-
tions,” adds Mulaudzi.
Equipped with mechanical suspension
and a tag lift-axle, the VW Constellation
24.250 also sports a dual-speed differen-
tial that delivers ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ gear ra-
tios for better traction under load, explains
Mulaudzi.
VOLKSWAGEN CONSTELLATION RANGE
MAKING HEADWAY IN SA MARKET
By Pierre Sanson