With growing concern around global issues such as climate change, the race is on to develop more fuel-efficient trucks with smaller yet powerful engines; trucks that meet both stringent environmental regulations and high levels of performance. Combining a smaller engine with a supercharger is one way to do this. On January 29, UD Trucks added an 8-liter engine model to its flagship Quon line-up. Four colleagues from the project team tell us how they did it.
Kazuhito Hosono: Vehicle Project Team Head
The new 8-liter Quon reduces chassis weight by 300 kg compared to the 11-liter version. This significantly increases load capacity across a variety of applications. My mission was to keep the strengths of existing Quon and bring the 8-liter engine vehicle to market as quickly as possible with absolutely no compromise on quality. We received valuable input from different teams who test drove a prototype. This input greatly motivated us to overcome the technical hurdles that we faced.
Junichi Kawahara: Engine Project Team Manager
When I began working on this project, I had in-depth discussions with product development and sales teams about what customers really needed. The 8-liter engine with turbocharger was developed in Europe and we modified it to suit the Japanese market, including making it lighter. We didn’t compromise on performance, ensuring a smooth start with ESCOT-VI. We received tremendous support from not only engineers in Japan but also from France and Sweden in developing this engine. We are proud of the result.
Tadahiro Shimizu: Vehicle Project Team Manager
The biggest benefit of an 8-litre engine is the reduced vehicle weight. We took advantage of this and re-engineered the auto shift down function to improve exhaust brake performance.
Takefumi Mochizuki: Engine Project Team Manager
There was a clear demand for an 8-liter Quon from our customers. I think the best word to describe this project is “balance.” Using the Volvo Group’s common platform, we modified the engine to satisfy the specific needs of our Japanese customers. We achieved our goals in terms of driving performance, ease of use, reliability and lower running costs. I was thrilled to hear a sales representative at our Touch & Ride event say, “The performance is so good. I have changed my mind about a GH8 engine. This is a winner!” We overcame many difficulties in developing this product, and now we can offer it to customers with pride and confidence. Drive it and you will see!
8-Liter Quon Project Teams.
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UD Trucks is a leading Japanese commercial vehicle solutions provider, active in more than 60 countries on all continents. Since its inception in 1935, the company has been an innovation leader with a clear vision to provide the trucks and services the world needs today. The company is committed to go the extra mile for smart logistics with the most dependable solutions for demanding customers. To best support across applications and geographies, UD Trucks offers a full range of heavy duty trucks - Quon and Quester, medium duty trucks - Condor and Croner, and light duty trucks - Kazet and Kuzer, as well as associated operational and financial services.
UD Trucks is a proud member of the Volvo Group, which in 2018 had net sales of 391 SEK bn and 105,000 employees globally.
