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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
APRIL 2017
15
in June this year. Production has already
started in Thailand. As strong endurance is a
key attribute of UD Trucks’ offering, testing
is particularly important. The Croner has
already been exposed to durability testing
conducted for an equivalent of 3 million
km across different terrains in the world. A
further 1,4 million km of field tests in actual
customer operations was carried out across
six countries and three continents over an
18-month period.
Croner is an all-new heavy duty truck
which Nobuhiko Kishi, senior vice president,
UD Brand and Product, UD Trucks Japan,
says is a continuation of the company’s rich
Japanese legacy of building the “truck that
the world needs today”. It will specifically
load into growth markets across Asia,
Africa, Middle East and South America,
according to Jacques Michel, senior vice
president of Group Trucks Asia.
“The emerging markets are key growth
areas where UD Trucks intends to capture
more growth. After launching the Quester
for developing markets in 2015, we have
now rolled the Croner off the production line
to capture more market share in the heavy
duty truck market, which is a very important
segment of the truck market globally,” says
Michel. “We are excited about the launch
of the Croner, which definitely comes with
more standard features and benefits than
its predecessor.”
Truck in detail
With versatility in mind, the UD Croner
comes in three gross vehicle weight (GVW)
models – MKE, LKE and PKE – and their
three wheelbase variants can offer up to
21 different basic configurations to suit
specific needs of various industries.
The Croner can be adapted for any heavy
-duty role with an array of wheelbase
selections to deliver greater productivity.
There are six basic wheelbase choices
ranging from 3 450 mm to 5 500 mm
available for 11 t, 12 t, 14 t, 15 t or 17 t
GVW variants. Longer wheel base choices
of 6 000 and 6 500 mm are also available for
15 t and 17 t GVW variants.
The MKE, with GVW ranging from 10,4
to 11 t, is a compact sized heavy duty truck
optimised for urban usage, with better
manoeuvrability in narrow roads and ideal
for inner-city deliveries, according to Per
Hanson, driver development manager
at UD Trucks. It is powered by a GH5E
UD Trucks’ executives (from left to right): Nobuhiko
Kishi, Jacques Michel and Kamlarp Sirikittiwatn,
during the official launch of the Croner.