General Motors, Navistar Team Up on Medium-Duty Trucks

Another source for an article conerning this.

http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1510-general-motors-and-navistar-to-collaborate-on-medium-duty-vehicle/

These GM's are going to be built in my home town where my father, father/law and many numerous friends did or still work at. 300 workers will be hired which is good for our area.

chiefneon wrote:
Howdy!

After GM dropped the Med Duty Truck line following the government bailout and failed to make parts for them I traded off my Cheverolet 5500. No thanks GM I'll never own another or any thing else they build.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

Hi Chiefneon,
I am not agreeing or disagreeing with you but the truth is we can say the same about Ford and the 6.0L diesel with all of its problems, head bolts, head gaskets, EGR coolers and so on, then there is Dodge with the weak transmissions they put in their 2500 through 5500 trucks as well. So we as consumers have been forced to endure all sorts of engineering calamities from all of the manufacturers. I currently have a Ford 6.4L diesel and have read and studied every morsel of information I can find to try to make that engine live without the common issues it is known for. I installed a coolant filter due to the fact that the sand casting of the block produces destructive sand particles throughout the cooling system of this engine. It has a history of EGR cooler failures due to this issue. So, as I take the fifth on your comment toward GM, I can say with certainty, I really do not want to own a Ford chassis type truck because I am not much different than you.

Howdy!

After GM dropped the Med Duty Truck line following the government bailout and failed to make parts for them I traded off my Cheverolet 5500. No thanks GM I'll never own another or any thing else they build.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

Thanks for that but I googled it and read it there earlier.

I just received the same message when I did the copy/paste function. If you copy/paste my headline in Google, it should take you to the story. That is how I found it and was able to read the story in entirety.

Just did it again. here is the WSJ Story

comes as GM readies return to U.S. market for work trucks
General Motors and Navistar International have reached an agreement to develop and assemble medium-duty trucks. Above, two women work on a GM truck engine at GM’s plant in Flint, Mich. ENLARGE
General Motors and Navistar International have reached an agreement to develop and assemble medium-duty trucks. Above, two women work on a GM truck engine at GM’s plant in Flint, Mich. Photo: BILL PUGLIANO/GETTY IMAGES
By Jeff Bennett and
Robert Tita
Updated Sept. 30, 2015 12:13 p.m. ET
1 COMMENTS

General Motors Co. and Navistar International Corp. have reached a long-term agreement to develop medium-duty commercial trucks, paving the way for the auto maker’s return to a segment it abandoned six years ago.

Under the deal, GM will supply components and engines to Navistar which will build the trucks at its Springfield, Ohio, plant starting in 2018. Navistar will add 300 jobs and invest more than $12 million in the factory. Exact terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the trucks will feature GM-built engines.

Both GM and Navistar will sell the trucks. GM said the trucks will once again carry the Chevrolet brand but won’t be sold under the GMC brand. A spokesman declined to say if Chevrolet will reactivate the Kodiak nameplate for the trucks.

The trucks are generally used in the service industry as tow trucks, dump trucks, delivery trucks and for construction work.

The deal will bring Navistar some much-needed production volume for its medium-duty truck business after the company ended a truck-making venture in Mexico with Ford Motor Co. earlier this year.
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For GM, the announcement underscores the reversal of fortune the auto maker is experiencing as both consumers and businesses, particularly in the U.S., continue buying. Many business and fleet operators had delayed purchases when the U.S. economy stalled in 2008 and 2009.

“Our dealers have told us they need these trucks back in their commercial truck lineup,” a GM spokesman said.

The GM-Navistar venture will also help Navistar blunt Ford’s efforts to expand its truck business with its own vehicle lineup.

Navistar had long reigned over the medium-duty market, but lost market share in recent years after the disastrous strategy for treating diesel engine exhaust undermined truck reliability, causing customers to fleet to other truck brands. The Illinois company has been trying to rebuild its share of the medium-duty market for the past year.

The long lead time before the GM trucks reach the market should allow GM and Navistar to avoid an expected drop in demand for commercial trucks in the next couple of years.

Earlier this year, GM said it would team up with Japan’s Isuzu Motors Ltd. to procure work trucks to be sold in the U.S. under the Chevrolet brand. The trucks are somewhat smaller than the medium-duty trucks Navistar will build.

The demise of the Kodiak and the GMC Topkick came after GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The auto maker had tried but failed to sell the medium-truck unit. Navistar had been in the running to buy the business but a deal never materialized.

At that time, then GM CEO Fritz Henderson told reporters the medium-duty truck business hadn’t been successful for years. The company sold about 20,000 of the vehicles in 2008.

IAMICHABOD wrote:

Explorer1016 wrote:

j-d wrote:
Auto News Clicky
WSJ Clicky

Cool!:B

Only if you are a subscriber can you read them,at least that is what I get when I click on them.

"You must be a subscriber to Automotive News to continue reading."

WSJ "To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In "

I was able to read both stories without being a subscriber. Not sure why you were having difficulty.

I was able to read what I believe was all from Automotive News. On WSJ I got the notice that you did. Here's copy/paste:
The U.S. market for low-cab forward trucks is about 30,000 units annually, GM says.
Comment on this article 19 Comments Print this article Print Reprint Reprints Send a letter Respond Email Article Share on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
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Automotive News
June 15, 2015 - 6:58 am ET -- UPDATED: 6/15/15 11:00 am - new story
DETROIT -- General Motors is returning to the medium-duty commercial truck business in the U.S. next year after a seven-year hiatus, a move that GM believes will lead to more sales of pickups, vans and other trucks to fleet buyers.

GM will sell trucks from Isuzu Motors as rebadged Chevrolets, the companies announced today. They include six so-called low-cab forward models: Chevrolet 3500, 3500HD, 4500, 4500HD, 5500 and 5500 HD.

Ed Peper, GM's vice president of fleet and commercial sales, said dealers who do significant fleet business have been asking for years for GM to return to the medium-duty market. Peper said medium-duty customers typically need other trucks for their fleets, from midsize and light-duty pickups to vans and crossovers.

"We've heard from Chevy dealers saying, 'What are you going to do on medium-duty product?' There are a lot of adjacent sales associated with it," Peper said in an interview.

He added that many commercial customers "tell us they want one-stop shopping."

GM is scheduled to announce the move today at a national meeting of Chevy dealers in Las Vegas.

GM shut down its medium-duty truck line in 2009 while in bankruptcy after failing to find a buyer for the operation. GM had produced the trucks, the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick, at a plant in Flint, Mich.

Chevy will sell regular-cab and crew-cab versions of the new trucks, which will offer a GM-sourced 6.0-liter, V-8 gasoline engine or Isuzu's 3.0-liter and 5.2-liter turbodiesel engines, depending on the model. The line will be based on Isuzu's N Series trucks.

Competition

While Ford Motor Co. sells other styles of medium-duty trucks, Peper said no domestic competitor sells low-cab forward trucks, which position the driver as far forward as possible, in front of the engine. They're used in everything from construction and garbage collection to food delivery.

Peper said the U.S. market for low-cab forward trucks is about 30,000 units annually. Isuzu and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also sell them.

Peper believes entry into the medium-duty market will accelerate already sharp growth in GM's commercial sales, which jumped 31 percent last year and have risen 25 percent this year through May.

More Isuzu cooperation

GM signaled the possibility of additional ventures with Isuzu. The companies have partnered in commercial trucks and diesel engines in various global markets for 40 years.

The new deal "reinforces a long-term relationship that helps to explore future collaborations in the U.S. commercial vehicle business," GM said.

GM at one point held 49 percent of Isuzu shares, but sold its last remaining stake in 2006. In 2012, Reuters reported that GM had proposed taking a controlling stake of more than one-third of Isuzu, but the truck maker wanted to stay independent.

The companies said last September that they would partner on the development of a midsize pickup for markets outside of the U.S. and Canada.

You can reach Mike Colias at mcolias@crain.com.

Explorer1016 wrote:

j-d wrote:
Auto News Clicky
WSJ Clicky

Cool!:B

Only if you are a subscriber can you read them,at least that is what I get when I click on them.

"You must be a subscriber to Automotive News to continue reading."

WSJ "To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In "

j-d wrote:
Auto News Clicky
WSJ Clicky

Cool!:B