On May 15, UD Trucks Corp. announced that UD Trucks has re-entered the commuter bus market in South Africa with the all-new UD Croner Bus, which comes in two variants: a commuter bus (PKE 280) and a rural bus (LKE 210). Both buses are based on the same architecture as the South African medium duty leader, UD Trucks Croner.
The Croner Bus PKE 280 can comfortably seat 65 and 10 standing passengers. This variant is powered by a D8A280 engine that meets Euro III and Euro V emissions standards while also being fuel-efficient and equipped with high capacity. PKE 280 (air sus) buses come with an electronically controlled air suspension system that improves driving comfort and contributes to better vehicle ergonomics. Because of the reduction in chassis and bus weight, the bus can carry high loads of luggage inside and outside the coach.
Croner Bus LKE 210 and LKE 240 can accommodate 40 passengers in seating and 12 standing. The D5A210 and D5A240 Euro V engines in this variety deliver excellent torque even at low speeds.
All about UD Trucks
On January 31, UD Trucks announced that later this year the Quon range will receive further upgrades that will improve vehicle safety.
The new Quon safety features, including the traffic eye cruise control, help it achieve Vision Zero - a future with no injuries, deaths, or minor injuries from road collisions, and safety for drivers, communities, and other road users.
UD Trucks launched the Quester and Croner Euro 5 models in 2022, and the Quon in 2019: ahead of local government regulations and manufactured in South Africa since then. It has produced and sold close to 1,000 Euro 5 units in South Africa.
On January 26, 2023, UD Trucks Corporation and Kobe Steel, Ltd. announced they have conducted an autonomous driving trial at Kobe Steel's Kakogawa Works, using a heavy-duty Quon equipped with Level 4 confined-area autonomous driving technology, based on the basic agreement reached in 2021.
In today's world, manufacturing sites must address labor shortages and improve efficiencies to run sustainable business operations. The initiative is intended to alleviate a driver shortage at the steel works site and to promote digital transformation at manufacturing and logistics sites.
The trial was conducted over a period of two months from the end of August to the end of October 2022. A heavy-duty Quon dump truck manufactured by UD Trucks moved along a portion of the route used to carry water crushed slag within the Kakogawa Works site. The slag weighing roughly 17 tons was loaded and automatically transported to and from multiple points within the site. Operational tasks such as stopping, loading, and unloading the payload within a set time frame were also carried out autonomously.
The autonomous driving system provided by Sensible 4, a Finnish self-driving tech company, recognizes and responds accordingly to rugged terrain and variations in weather. The vehicle stays on course by incorporating GNSS-RTK and 3D-LiDAR technology, which ensures accurate movements even in an environment where satellite signals could be blocked by facilities on the site. 
※画像をクリックすると拡大します
(UD Trucks press release on January 26, 2023)