Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/592284
November '15 www.studentdriverplacement.com 1 9 most notably, Chevrolet, are getting back into the vocational truck market here in North America. Things have turned around to such an extent that General Motors once again has the cash to invest in voca- tional trucks – although the company is going to go about things a little dif- ferently this time. Today, the development costs associ- ated with new vehicles are so stag- geringly high, that bringing everything in-house is simply not an option for many auto manufacturers today. Volkswagen, for example, markets its Transporter vocational van in Europe. The van is a Mercedes Sprinter, built on the line in Stuttgart, with the only difference being the badging and grillwork on the vehicle. Chevy is already offering the Nissan- built City Express compact van. And in June, it announced that it would renew its long-time relationship with Isuzu, in a deal that would revive joint engine development projects be- tween the two companies and return GMC- and Chevy-badged cabover work trucks to dealer lots around the country in the near future. On the heels of these efforts we got word last week that General Motors has inked a new deal with Navistar to develop and market a new series of conventional, Class 5 and 6 vocation- al trucks. The new trucks will feature a Navistar-designed and built body, with GM-designed powertrains and should be a welcome shot in the arm for both Chevrolet and Navistar, which will both sell differently badged versions of the new truck. Between its popular PowerStroke diesel engine, which was the heart of Ford's SuperDuty line for many years, and its own successful line of medi- um-duty trucks, Navistar held a virtual chokehold on the North American medium-duty market in the same way that Mack is basically the Alabama Crimson Tide of the dump truck world today. Ford eventually decided to bring its diesel engine design and produc- tion in-house. And fallout from the Navistar's emissions technology battles with the EPA has emboldened competitors, who would love to take medium-duty marketshare away from Navistar. So a fresh lineup of conven- tional trucks would be a defi nite posi- tive step forward for Navistar. And the underlying message – that General Motors trusts Navistar design, engi- neering and quality – isn't a bad one to have out in the marketplace, either. It's always fun to see new truck models hit the market. And given the current state of technology today, we could see some very interesting features and systems appear as well. So anyway you look at it, this should prove to be a very positive move for both Navistar and General Motors. ◆