UD Trucks launches New Quester to help companies overcome business challenges and accelerate growth with Smart Logistics

Fuel efficiency, battle for talent, productivity and connectivity are top priorities for fleets and transport companies and these challenges will be addressed with new features such as ESCOT and UD Telematics

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BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach - 30 January 2019 – UD Trucks today unveiled
New Quester with enhancements to the well-established heavy-duty truck. New Quester
will enable logistics companies to tackle critical industry challenges and
boost their bottom line through Smart Logistics.

 

To be
introduced in fast-growing regions around the world, the launch of New Quester
highlights UD Trucks’ unwavering commitment of “Going the Extra Mile” for
customers’ businesses.

 

Building
on proven robustness and reliability, New Quester introduces key features such
as ESCOT automated manual transmission, engines with higher horsepower and
user-friendly telematics to deliver greater fuel efficiency, productivity,
driver efficiency, safety, and uptime.

 

Håkan
Karlsson, President, Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs, said “Quester comes
from the best of three worlds: UD Trucks’ strong Japanese heritage and
craftsmanship, Volvo Group’s innovative technology and strong local
manufacturing and customer support. UD Trucks is recognized for pioneering new
innovations within the Japanese trucks segment, and New Quester is testament to
our global industry leadership.

 

Since
1995, UD Trucks has delivered more than 80,000 trucks with ESCOT automated
manual transmission. We are humbled by the tremendous confidence and
recognition that the Quester line has earned. With New Quester, we are positive
to carry on this legacy of being the truck brand that our customers want to
partner with.”

 

Ensuring increased fuel efficiency for
businesses to better manage fuel costs and mitigate oil price volatility

Fuel costs typically constitute 40 percent* of operating
costs for fleet operators[1]. To
boost productivity and profitability for business owners and logistics
companies, New Quester achieves further enhanced fuel efficiency of up to 10
percent from the current Quester with the ESCOT automated manual transmission,
lighter tare weight and optimized driveline, depending on the operating
condition, driving behaviour and vehicle maintenance.

 

ESCOT
includes a software which optimizes gear shifting according to engine rev,
vehicle speed, loading weight and even road gradient. The smart system also
includes a sensor that will select optimum gear automatically instead of
assuming a first gear selection.

 

New
Quester’s enhanced fuel performance also aligns with the increasing focus on
environmentally friendly regulations to curb fuel consumption in target
markets. New Quester achieves fuel economy and quality standards for heavy-duty vehicles
of Euro 3 to Euro 4 in all target markets, effectively reducing
overall carbon footprint globally.

 

Introducing a more attractive and comfortable
working environment, to support transport companies win the war on talent and
expand the pool of talent

To combat
the global driver shortage challenge, New Quester introduces more
driver-friendly features to make the driving experience more seamless and
comfortable.

This is a major obstacle for transport companies around the world. For example,
it is estimated that South Africa needs an additional 15,000 new truck drivers
each year but this target continues to be woefully unmet.[1]

 

A game changer in the transportation business, New Quester
with ESCOT automatically selects the optimal gear at the right timing based on
the operating condition. This takes away the need for manual gear shifting,
which depending on the transportation operations, happens 1,000 to 1,500 times
a day. Automatic gear selection also ensures that every driver on New Quester
is equivalent to a highly skilled driver. This enables drivers to easily learn
the operations of New Quester and better focus on driving with ease.

In
addition to making driving simple, New Quester also aims to help businesses
expand the pool of talent with easy-to-operate gear lever that uses a straight
shifting pattern. In target markets such as Thailand, for example, the number
of female Quester drivers is increasing due to its drivability. New Quester
opens the doors for companies to attract even more prospects to pursue truck
driving as a career and diversify the pool of talent for this role.

 

Driver
fatigue continues to be a serious industry challenge, contributing up to 20
percent of road accidents in the world[2].
To address this, New Quester is developed with an air suspended cab and ride
comfort package with reduced cab vibrations up to 18 percent. Driver’s comfort
is also enhanced with ergonomic seats and lumbar support for long-distance
assignments.

 

New
Quester increases overall drivability and safety for drivers with features that
focus on increasing drivers’ comfort levels and reducing driver fatigue.

 

Boosting profitability and business growth by
doing more with less to overcome productivity constraints and complicated fleet
management processes

With middle-class
spending power in emerging markets estimated to rise to $20 trillion in the
next decade, this presents immense growth opportunities for customers to
achieve significant business growth in these regions.

 

In line
with elevating business success through Smart Logistics, New Quester supports
effective fleet management and driver performance with innovative customer
telematics such as real-time vehicle tracking and geofencing for better fleet
visibility and optimization. Such smart
connectivity features support the increasing trend of new logistics delivery
solutions that are offered by technology and local start-up companies in South
Africa, Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

New Quester trucks are equipped with UD Telematics, which has the capability to
connect directly to UD Trucks workshops to monitor and detect each vehicle’s condition
and service needs before a potential emergency occurs. Preventive maintenance
analysis guides customers with monthly driving behavior and fuel consumption
reports, ensuring higher uptime and more optimal fuel economy over time.

 

Owners of New Quester also enjoy increased uptime with a
2.5 to 3 times longer clutch life span under ESCOT automated manual
transmission as compared to manual clutch replacement depending on the operating
condition, driving behaviour and vehicle maintenance.

At UD
Trucks, its Gemba spirit means being close to the ground and listening to the
needs of local customers to be their most valuable partner in respective
markets and segments.

 

Built to deliver
UD Trucks’ ethos of “Ultimate Dependability”, New Quester increases uptime through
UD Extra Mile Support. Offering an extensive network of well-trained service
technicians, it provides quality aftersales service with genuine parts, service
planning and vehicle handover training that optimizes fleet performance.

 

Jacques
Michel, President, Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs Sales, said, “We recognize
immense potential in fast-growing markets such as Southeast Asia, Middle East,
Africa and Latin America where business success is a key contributor to
economic progress. Combined with our Ultimate Dependability standard and Gemba
spirit, New Quester marks our commitment to continue championing Smart
Logistics and providing unmatched value to our customers in these regions.”

 

New
Quester will be available in key markets around the world in phases from
mid-February 2019 onwards. Thailand, which also serves as UD Trucks’ export hub
to growth markets in Southeast Asia, will be the first to launch New Quester. 

Following the respective market launches, New Quester’s driving adventure film
series filmed around the world will showcase how the truck supports businesses
in tackling actual, market-specific challenges faced by truck companies in
fast-growing regions around the world.

 

For more information on New Quester, visit http://www.udtrucks.com/newquester
and watch the digital
reveal film at https://youtu.be/qRhK1wtSYPk.

 

Join the conversation on social media at https://www.facebook.com/UDTrucksJP and https://www.linkedin.com/company/ud-trucks-corporation.

UD Trucks is a leading
Japanese commercial vehicle solutions provider, active in more than 60
countries on all continents. Since its inception in 1935, the company has been
an innovation leader with a clear vision to provide the trucks and services the
world needs today.

The company is committed to go the extra mile for smart logistics with the most
dependable solutions for demanding customers. To best support across
applications and geographies, UD Trucks offers a full range of heavy-duty
trucks – Quon and Quester, medium duty trucks – Condor and Croner, and light
duty trucks – Kazet and Kuzer, as well as associated operational and financial
services.

 

UD Trucks is a proud member of the Volvo Group, which in 2017 had net
sales of 335 BSEK and 100,000 employees globally.

 

For more information from
the UD Trucks, please visit http://www.udtrucks.com/en-int/home