TARTAN TRUCKING
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The Scottish Show falls at the end of the season, so it is short of launches, and a number of CV manufacturers are staying away. But there are still plenty of exhibits to check out.
• "Commercial Vehicle Industry in Crisis!" some might cry, with falling sales, high interest rates, and just entering the latest round of pay negotiations.
The Scottish Motor Show has put a smart sporran on the front of this wayward industry kilter, with a healthy 350 exhibitors — 30 more than last time — supporting this biennial event, which this year runs from 10-19 November.
Like most Scottish shows, the 1989.exhibitor list contains a huge number of dealers, but only 23 commercial manufacturers are at Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition Centre. Renault Trucks feels that the show is not a "cost-effective means of doing what it wants to do in Scotland". Seddon Atkinson is also absent, as are Foden, Hino, Mercedes-Benz and Scania.
The rest of the manufacturers are there, but the effort is decidedly low-key, with few new vehicles being presented. Following the Frankfurt, Earls Court and Tokyo motor shows means the Scottish is too late for the vehicle launch circus. In some ways this is no bad thing, as the show is where operators get a chance to chat with other manufacturers and dealers. In the current economic climate this is also a chance to sound out the discounts being offered, and sales staff will have to be on their toes if they are not to be played off against one another.
Perhaps the biggest story of the show is ERF's launch of the Steyr-cabbed ES8 six-wheel tipper. This makes sense as the six-wheeler market is particularly strong in Scotland. It has a 198kW (265hp) Cummins 6CTAA 265 inlet-charge-cooled engine giving 950Nm (7001bft) of torque (both figures are gross).
Joining the ES8 is an E14 365 specially built for the Scotland Show, an EIO 125, and an E6 which is due for a power increase at the turn of the year.
Iveco Ford Truck (IFT) is bucking the trend by showing 22 vehicles at Glasgow. Cynics might remark that IFT's motive is that there is plenty of space to fill, but visitors will not be complaining.
UK DEBUTANTS
Among the vehicles making their UK debut is the latest aerodynamic Turbo Dailies, including the all-wheel-drive 40.10W model with which Iveco Ford hopes to score in the special municipal/ emergency service vehicle market.
All the new Turbo Dailies are powered by the 2.5-litre direct-injection Sofim diesel, now tweaked to push out 76kW (104hp) and 238Nm (175lbft) of torque.
The cornerstone of Iveco Ford's success is still the Cargo range, which is well-represented at the SEC. For starters, there is an 0815 7.5-tonner with air suspension on the drive axle. Originally offered as an SVO with either Norde or Dunlop air suspension, the cargo air option has now been narrowed down to the Dunlop Flexolink unit.
Show stands traditionally feature a "novelty". On Iveco Ford's it's a special edition 1721 middleweight rigid designed to commemorate the 500,000 Cargos that have rolled out of the Langley plant in Slough.
Other Cargo exhibits include the Cummins L10-powered 2428 six-wheeler, complete with a Twin Splitter, and a 1718 with the recently-announced option of a Fuller nine-speed box.
The "newest" Cargos on show, however, can be found outside the SEC in the shape of two new lightweight Cargo tractors which were launched less than a month ago (CM 12-18 October). Intended for operators shifting high-volume/lowweight goods, the 2118C is plated at 21 tonnes GCW and is powered by the charge-cooled 5.9-litre Cummins 6BTA engine pushing out 127kW (170hp).
BULKY CRUISING
The 2921C, at 29-tonnes GCW, is, like its lower-rated 2521C stablemate, described by Iveco Ford as a "cniisenveight" tractor, intended for those hauliers carrying lightweight bulky loads where reasonable power is needed to overcome the high frontal area of a box trailer. Both have the 8.3-litre Cummins C Series engine rated at 151kW (202hp), coupled to an Eaton 6109 nine-speed box driving a Rockwell back axle.
Further up the power range Iveco Ford's assault on the UK heavy tractor market is exemplified by its latest two-axle 190.32 and twin-steer 220.32 TEC tractors, unveiled at the IRTE show, along with its fire-breathing 190.48 Turbostar.
For good measure there's also a highpowered 300.32 Deutz-powered "Maggie" eightlegger, but the 190.48 Turbostar will doubtless get the most attention.
Volkswagen has definitely got a new vehicle for the show — a van version of Pirelli's new FH15 Caddy buyers interested after the launch of its Toyota-designed Taro pickup, Volkswagen has had to offer the Caddy pickup in a variety of guises.
In fact, the Caddy van looks as though it will be a bigger success than the Caddy pickup. Its 2.6m3 load volume is greater than either the Ford Escort van's or Bedford Astramax's. The vehicle is designed to tempt buyers of the high-volume highroof Ford Escort vans, and it is offered with a 1.6-litre petrol or diesel option and four or five-speed gearboxes. The payload with the petrol option is 630kg, and with the diesel option 610kg.
The Caddy van will be shown on the Volkswagen stand alongside a Taro pickup and a Type 2 Caravelle Transporter minibus.
AWD makes its first appearance at the Scottish Show with its latest vehicle, the result of considerable development work between itself and Bass Worthington. The 21-16 urban artic on show is painted in Mansfield Brewery's colours: the lowerpowered vehicle, the 18-16, is also offered but is not shown on the stand. For more details see this week's Vehicles News pages.
For drivers looking for extra traction Pirelli is showing its drive-axle 14115, which uses the Pirelli Zero Degree construction with a new tread pattern. All the usual benefits are claimed for this tyre, including better handling, grip, economy, and more even wear characteristics.
In contrast to Iveco Ford's massive display, Leyland Daf has only three vehicles on show. There is the 108kW (145hp) 8.15 Roadrunner, the Daf DNT-powered Leyland Daf Freighter, and a 6x2 FTG 95.380 Space-cabbed tractive unit.
The Volvo stand is worth a visit if you have a moment; Lurking behind the salesmen is a mighty F16 lntercooler 485 — the latest highpower F16 broke cover recently at the Frankfurt Show — in luxury trim. Volvo reckons it provides "the ultimate trucking experience". But then everybody says that about their flagship tractor.
Although Renault trucks are not on show at Scotland, Renault vans are. Most of the other light van manufacturers are there, including Leyland Daf, Peugeot Talbot, Fiat, Citroen and Mitsubishi and Ford will be keeping an eye on every one of them.