THREE-YEAR PLAN
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Looking to the future, Volvo has maintained its R&D spend throughout the recession, says Göran Nyberg, and has a “firm” three-year plan for new products, particularly in the run up to the introduction of Euro-6 in 2014. He insists that Volvo is well prepared for the new emissions standard and that early indications are that its engines are on a par, fuel consumption wise, with the current crop of Euro-5 powerplants. Mind you, the cost of a truck will rise. “It’s a given that Euro-6 is driving costs up; unfortunately the technology required to meet the standard is more advanced and, with that, the cost goes up.
“It’s always a balance between the cost and what the market will take.” Alternative fuels are also an area of research and it has both hybrid and dual-fuel bio-methane trucks on UK operational trials.