UD Trucks Southern Africa has added two new truck ranges to its local product line-up.  This includes eight New Quester derivatives in the extra heavy truck segment, as well as Kuzer – a light heavy commercial truck.

The New Quester range will be assembled from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits at its local plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria.  Kuzer will initially be available as Completely Built-Up (CBU) units but will be moved to local CKD assembly at a later stage.

With a history of more than 57 years in South Africa, UD Trucks has built a proud legacy of providing customers with the right truck at the right time.

“We have an unrelenting passion to provide the trucks the world needs today, and into the future.  This commitment has driven the company’s industry-leading innovations for over 80 years worldwide,” explained Gert Swanepoel, managing director of UD Trucks Southern Africa.

“UD Trucks utilises and adapts global technology, knowledge and resources to provide trucks and services that meet the fast-changing requirements of today’s transport industry.  Globally, our innovation efforts are focussed on autonomous driving, electromobility and connectivity – the three innovation pillars that will shape the future of smart logistics.”

The company’s innovations and advancements, as is the case with New Quester and Kuzer, are built on the principles of driveability, fuel efficiency, safety, productivity and uptime – all essentials in any transport business.

“We are passionate about solving the challenges customers are facing in the local transport environment.  From versatile and durable trucks, to service and parts, and on-site support, driver training and integrated telematics, it is about a complete solution that customers can rely on to keep their trucks running,” said Swanepoel.

UD Trucks’ versatile range of heavy and extra heavy trucks are engineered, developed and rigorously tested to meet the challenging local operating conditions.

Kuzer addresses fleet owners’ requirements for an efficient, safe and dependable commercial truck.  Following the vision of UD Trucks’ founder, Kenzo Adachi, Kuzer has been developed and built with robust design, modern solutions and a powerful engine.

The Kuzer is aimed specifically at fleets that are looking for flexibility to operate in the urban logistics environment, but which can just as easily serve as mini-compactors, roll-backs and tippers or as robust delivery vehicles for bakeries in rural areas for example.

The name “Kuzer” itself is inspired by the Japanese onomatopoetic sound of wind, taking on the meaning ‘to run as if flying swiftly against the wind’.  Kuzer is all about manoeuvrability with a short turning radius to quickly move in and out of docking bays and tight parking spots.  With a large and comfortable cab, Kuzer also provides a better working environment for operators and their crews who use their truck as a mobile office, stopping and off-loading cargo multiple times a day.

The New Quester additions takes UD Trucks’ Quester offering to eighteen models, enabling fleet owners to tackle critical industry challenges and boost their bottom line through smart logistics.

“Quester is on the forefront of UD Trucks’ global aspirations of being a modern smart truck supplier, which excels on the essentials while retaining its inherent Japanese heritage,” said Swanepoel.  “It is sold on four continents and there are more than 15 000 Questers currently on the road.  There is a solid growth demand for Quester and with customers continuing to face new challenges in today’s economy, it was time for the range to evolve.”

The versatile New Quester is targeted at a variety of fleet operators; from long-haul transport to mining, inter-regional and construction.

New Quester also introduces key new features such as ESCOT automated manual transmission, air-suspended cabs, higher powered engines, a retarder, electrical cab tilt and user-friendly telematics.  With smart, connected technology bringing fleet owners closer to their fleets, it will ultimately lead to greater productivity, fuel-efficiency, uptime, driver efficiency and safety.

“Ultimately, New Quester addresses the top concerns every fleet owner may have, namely fuel consumption, durability, productivity and maintenance, in a smart modern fashion,” said Swanepoel.  “New Quester will take UD customers that extra mile every time.”

Although UD Trucks are made for Africa – tough, hard-working and dependable – they are also equipped with modern equipment and smart technology to ensure the best possible lifecycle costs for customers.

“We believe the introduction of Kuzer and New Quester will change the way African fleet owners think about trucks,” said Swanepoel.

UD Trucks Southern Africa has 38 accredited dealers in South Africa, and another 11 dealers in the emerging markets region.