Volvo Group's UD Trucks division has launched a heavy-duty truck range aimed at new growth markets, such as Asia Pacfic.
Dubbed Quester, the truck provides a workhorse for a wide range of applications, including mining, construction, distribution and long-haul transportation.
"UD Trucks, with a proud and long-standing tradition of developing high-quality trucks for the Japanese market, has exported trucks to markets across Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle-East for many decades," comments Joachim Rosenberg, executive vice president, group trucks sales and marketing and JVs, APAC.
"However, we have never developed products for customers outside Japan," he continues. "With Quester, we are entering a new era by introducing an all-new truck range, specifically designed for growth markets."
Being an integral part of the Volvo Group, UD Trucks says it developed Quester by leveraging its parent's global engineering network in combination with Japanese craftsmanship.
Combined with sourcing and manufacturing on the Asian mainland, UD Trucks says it will now be able to deliver a modern, affordable vehicle range with superior performance tailored to cost-conscious growth markets.
Rosenberg states that Quester's most obvious advantages are the robustness and strength of the truck, its fuel efficiency and the breadth of the truck range.
The variety of configurations will, he says, provide customers with tailored, purpose-built solutions for all types of applications. It will also sport new and patented technologies designed to contribute to uptime and safety.
Production of Quester is due to start during the third quarter of 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. Besides serving the domestic Thai market, the plant in Thailand will also serve as an export hub for South East Asia and beyond.
Rosenberg says that in the near future, the range will also be manufactured in China for the Chinese market and later on in India.
