Scania pushes on with V8 engine efficiency

Little clarity on Australian appearance of new big banger

 

Scania has hailed its new generation of Euro 6 V8 engines as a ‘new standard in fuel consumption’ but details of when they may appear on the Australian market are scant.

It is understood that the full range of existing R-series V8s in Euro 5 and Euro 6 will not change as a result of the announcement from Sweden but more detail is yet to be forthcoming.

Scania says the engines, which are available at 520hp, 580hp and 650hp (388kW, 433kW and 485kW) “can reduce fuel consumption by 7-10 per cent for customers with vehicles that have higher combined truck and trailer weights, higher average speeds, or both”.

“The new engine generation is Scania’s response to the growing trend in the transport industry towards heavier, longer trucks, and marks a new highpoint in the company’s engine building,” the company says.

 “Vehicle combinations with higher combined truck and trailer weights are a key factor in the shift to smarter transport,” sales and marketing senior vice president Alexander Vlaskamp says.

“They are also the reason behind the trend towards an increased demand for more powerful truck engines.”

The company adds that its focus has been on the lowest possible CO2-per-tonne ratios “because fewer trucks are needed to perform the same amount of transport work”.

“Ever since Scania introduced its first V8 close to 50 years ago, the engine family has been a favourite among demanding premium-level customers,” it says.

“While other high-performance engines have since come onto the market, none has had the sufficient robustness and appeal to rival the iconic position that Scania’s rumbling V8 engines have with experienced drivers throughout the truck world.”

The direction is consistent with the positive position on V8s that executive vice president of sales and marketing Christian Levin put to Australian journalists last September during the launch of the firm’s new generation of trucks.

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