Tan Chong Industrial Equipment & UD Trucks Launch Medium-Duty Croner

L-R: Mr. Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director Hub Malaysia, UD Trucks; Mr. Tan Keng Meng, Executive Director, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd; Dato’ Tan Heng Chew, President, Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad; Mr. Håkan Karlsson, President, Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs; Dato’ Rosie Tan, Group Senior Executive Vice President, Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad; Mr. Jacques Michel, President, Volvo Group Trucks Asia Sales; and Mr. Wong King Yoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd

UD Trucks, and its sole distributor, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment (TCIE), have launched the Croner, an all-new medium-duty truck in Malaysia. UD Trucks first started in 1935 as Nihon Diesel Industries Ltd. UD once stood for “Uniflow Diesel”, a type of engine the company produced in 1955, with the ‘UD’ badge displayed on the front grille; the reputation of its engine’s reliability which turned ‘UD’ into “Ultimate Dependability”. In 1960, it changed its name to Nissan Diesel Motor Co. Ltd. The company then became a subsidiary of the Volvo Group in 2007 and subsequently changed its name to UD Trucks in 2010. Tan Chong Industrial Equipment (TCIE), the truck business arm of Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd (TCMH), has been distributing and selling Nissan Diesel trucks (and now UD Trucks) for almost 4 decades.

The all-new UD Croner truck continues the brand’s Japanese legacy of building the “truck that the world needs today”, and is targeted to developing markets like Malaysia, with versatility, uptime and safety in mind. This truck range is designed for reliability and built with robust and quality components to deliver extra productivity and superior uptime, thus saving on time and maintenance which will lead to better productivity and profitability. Incidentally, Croner is named after Chronos, the Greek god of time, because it’s aimed to save the owner time.

UD Trucks has spent over 3 years of development and testing by its expert engineers who spent 1.7 million engineering hours and 30,000 hours of testing using 90 test rigs and over 100 test trucks to ensure the superior quality of Croner. The trucks were tested in various conditions and climates from the high altitudes of Peru to the heat of UAE to the challenging terrain of India. As a result, the Croner range is one of UD Trucks’ most fuel-efficient trucks ever. It combines the new GHE engine series, new (optional) automatic transmission and a new and more aerodynamic cab design allowing the Croner to reduce the coefficient of drag (CD), thus improving fuel efficiency.

The Croner comes in 2 gross vehicle weight (GVW) models in Malaysia i.e. LKE (GVW 14.5 tons) and PKE (GVW 18.5 tons). The Croner LKE is fitted with GH5E-210 Euro 3 5-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 210 hp and 825 Nm, while the Croner PKE uses the GH8E-250 8-liter 6-cylinder diesel engine that produces 250 hp and 950 Nm. The LKE has a 2.1-meter sleeper cab while the PKE gets a slightly larger 2.3-meter one. The Croner is offered in a wide range of wheelbase variants to suit a wide range of configurations, such as dumpster, tipper and box, to meet specific demands of various industries. Locally, the Croner run a 6-speed manual transmission but a 6-speed Allison automatic transmission is available as an option (RM 40,000) for all models of Croner, providing ease of drive, safety and less strenuous driving experience especially for long-haul drivers. It might seem counter-intuitive but in a fleet, the automatic transmission helps to save operating cost by averaging out the fuel consumption due to the different driving styles of the truck drivers, as well as reduce driver fatigue which means higher uptime.

The Croner also comes with a full air braking system (including ABS) with reliable S-cam drum brakes, to increase safety and reliability. The ABS system used in UD trucks is also equipped with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) which helps avoid over-braking of the rear axle and limit the brake pressure based on the wheel. Additionally, the optional air suspension on PKE model is available to protect fragile cargo especially on rough road conditions.

UD Trucks customers will also be supported by UD Extra Mile Support services which includes UD Genuine Service and Parts, UD Driver Training and UD Trust Service Agreements for customers.

To celebrate the launch of Croner, TCIE is offering rebates of RM 10,000 for every Croner booking, until August 31, 2017. Additionally, customers who purchase Croner can also enjoy full 100% financing. This financing offer is valid until December 31, 2017 or while stocks last (subject to terms and conditions).

At the same time, UD Trucks also introduced UD Telematics, its remote monitoring system. All Croner trucks are factory-fitted with this system which keeps you updated on your fleet in real-time. UD Telematics will provide the customer with location tracking, fuel reports, and vehicle health status, with service reminders, remote diagnostics and breakdown quick assistance. This systems aims to keep your fleet safe, and save you on running costs. It is offered free for the first year and costs RM 90 a month subsequently.

At the launch, Tan Keng Meng, Executive Director, Tan Chong Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd said, “This year, Tan Chong Group is celebrating its 60^th anniversary. With 60 years of success in the automotive business and as an industry pioneer, we could not be more honored of what we have achieved today. As the sole distributor of UD Trucks in Malaysia ever since TCIE started, I would like to say that we are very glad to have contributed to the growth of the brand to where it is today, a highly visible and trusted Japanese name in the Malaysian truck industry. Celebrating another milestone, we truly welcome the launch of Croner, as it will undoubtedly further strengthen our product offerings and establish a stronger presence for our businesses.” “Croner’s superiority comes from the best of three worlds – UD Trucks’ Japanese heritage and craftsmanship, Volvo Group’s strong global technology and safety principle, and Tan Chong Industrial Equipment’s deep local knowledge and resources as our highly valued local partner,” said Håkan Karlsson, President of Volvo Group Trucks Asia & JVs.

“Our goal is to build the truck that the world needs today, and in doing this successfully for Croner, we’ve also taken into consideration the feedback and experience that we’ve received since the introduction of our heavy-duty Quester truck range and incorporate it into the design and built of the all-new Croner. I am confident that Croner will bring our customers the efficiency and success they want, in any application,” added Karlsson.

“UD Trucks has engineered Croner to help customers do well through the simple concept of saving time. UD Trucks believes that by engineering a robust and versatile truck, vehicle downtime can be greatly minimized, leading to more business efficiency and productivity for customers,” said Toshihiko Odawara, Vice President, Product Management, UD Trucks.

Odawara also pointed out, “Safety is a very important aspect to UD Trucks, and as such, the all-new Croner is equipped with superior braking and handling features to keep drivers and fleets in prime condition. Designed with good level of passive safety in the event of an accident, the reinforced cabin also ensures safety and extra durability to the driver even under rough road conditions.”

“The all-new Croner not only enhance safety for the driver but also for other on-the-road users, as it is equipped with Front Underrun Protection (FUP) that prevents passenger cars from being wedged under the truck in the event of a frontal collision,” he added.

“With an extensive network of 43 service centers and dealerships throughout Malaysia, TCIE will continue to play a major role in providing key support to UD Trucks and customers. TCIE and UD Trucks have shared a unique and solid partnership in building the landscape of Malaysia’s commercial vehicle industry, and the launch of Croner today further reinforces this relationship. We certainly look forward to a continued growth together,” commented Tan.

For more information on TCIE and UD Trucks, call 03-61899832.

Gallery:

UD Croner Cabin

Keyword: Tan Chong Industrial Equipment & UD Trucks Launch Medium-Duty Croner