SHOW TORQUE
Page 49
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AWAY FROM the glare of the arc lamps and out of earshot of the consumers there was plenty going on at the Frankfurt Show.
• One of the chief topics was the merger — or non-merger of Scania and Volvo. One school of thought was that proposals had not been abandoned but merely postponed.
• The new Volvo range was a natural discussion point among the heavy manufacturers. One confided that he had been worried about the prospect but "was a little less worried now that I've seen it."
What his reaction will be and, indeed, that of the others, when they read in this issue of CM of Volvo's advanced involvement with a gas turbine is anybody's guess.
• Saviem revealed that they were less than keen to give up the 13-ton axle limit and cut back to 10, but hinted strongly that they might be prepared to strike a compromise. It now remains to be seen who will take the initiative.
• The intention of Magirus to take itself to America, dropping the Deutz part of its title — reported elsewhere in CM — has set tongues wagging and posing questions like: "Who will supply the engine"? The anssr should not be long in coming, and there is no pun intended here.
• Certainly, the answer will be known before Fiat's cab of the future goes into production. The styling definitely catches the eye, but more than the vehicle will require to be re-styled. Before the idea can catch on, this will demand a new breed of driver and anew kind of highway.
• This was a point well made by Professor Joachim Zahn, chairman of Daimler-Benz, who said safety was not merely a question of design and philosophy but also one of road construction and driver behaviour.
He also had a warning for European manufacturers that, in addition to intensified competition from the Japanese, there would be new competition from the Comecon countries.