SODERTALJE, Sweden, Oct. 29, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Scania (NYSE:SCVa) (NYSE:SCVb) now makes its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens for the public on October 30. The exhibition is the first concrete manifestation of the business alliance between the two leading truck manufacturers Scania and Hino. Scania expects sales to expand slowly but steadily over several years.
Scania and Hino earlier this year entered a business alliance. The first step in the cooperation entails the marketing of Scania tractor units via the Hino sales and service network in Japan. Now a Scania tractor unit is exhibited on the Hino stand. This heavy-duty tractor for volume cargo transportation complements the Hino line-up in Japan. (For pictures from the show: see www.scania.com.)
A large number of Hino's VIP customers were invited to learn more about Scania and the new truck model.
"The age of 60 marks the start of a new era in Japan and Hino is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year," said Kaj Lindgren, Group Vice President, Executive Board, and Scania's architect for the agreement with Hino. "The business alliance between Scania and Hino is a fundamental step for both companies.
"Scania has the highest image of all European truck brands and for half a century, Scania has been recognised as King of the Road in many countries. Hino is the leading Japanese truck manufacturer with the highest image. This means that two of the world's premium truck makes are starting to cooperate.
"Scania's strategy of organic growth does not exclude strategic alliances. One example is our business alliance with Hino. Another is the development of our high-pressure injection system -- Scania HPI -- together with Cummins.
"Hino and Scania complement each other very well when it comes to products and market coverage and this may very well open other possibilities in the future," concluded Mr. Lindgren.
The business alliance between Scania and Hino also includes other, longer-term projects. The two companies are exchanging know-how in emission control and looking at the possibilities of using Hino's new 7-litre engine in some Scania vehicles.
"Scania builds and sells the same range of products, uses the same production methods, the same environmental standards and the same demands on quality all over the world," said Mr. Hasse Johansson, Group Vice President, Executive Board, responsible for Scania's research and development.
"Thanks to Scania's modular system, our customers can specify vehicles ideally suited to any transport task. And this is precisely what we have done to tailor-make a truck that complements the Hino line-up in Japan.
"We take a low-built chassis, since cargo volume has a high priority in this transport segment. We take a right-hand-drive long-haulage cab and underneath we put a low-emission 12-litre turbocompound engine with 440 horsepower. We fit our 12-speed range-splitter gearbox and offer our own retarder and automatic gearchanging (Scania Opticruise) as options. We make some modifications to the mirrors to suit Japanese regulations, but basically that's it," concluded Mr. Johansson.
For further information, please contact:
Magnus Hahn, Senior Vice President, Business Communicationstel. +46 8 55383510.
Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. With 28,300 employees and production facilities in Europe and Latin America, Scania is one of the most profitable companies in its sector. In 2001, turnover totalled SEK 53,000 million and the result after financial items was SEK 1,500 million. Scania products are marketed in about 100 countries worldwide and some 95 percent of Scania's vehicles are sold outside Sweden.
Scania press releases are available on the Internet, www.scania.com
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