Renault Trucks’ Euro-6 T has been elected the International Truck of the Year for 2015 by a jury of 25 leading commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists representing 25 major trucking magazines from all over Europe. The prestigious Award was handed over to Bruno Blin, President of Renault Trucks, at the VDA gala dinner on the evening of the opening Press Day of the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover.
With a winning score of 129 votes, the new French heavy-duty long-haul truck model fought off the challenge posed by DAF’s CF heavy distribution range, which collected 81 votes, and by Mercedes-Benz’s New Atego medium-duty series, which finished in the third place with 49 votes.
Bruno Blin commented: “I am delighted to accept this Award on behalf of Renault Trucks and would like to share it with all those working in our company and network throughout the world. This Award makes us proud, as it will also bring pride to those who purchase our trucks and drive them. One year ago, Renault Trucks entered a whole new era with the launch of an entirely new range. This Award is the best possible way of highlighting the new Renault Trucks identity. I am certain that recognition of the Renault Trucks T’s qualities by specialised, independent journalists from 25 European countries will be a powerful argument for winning over new customers.”
Based on the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) rules, the annual Award is presented to the truck introduced into the market in the previous 12 months which has made the greatest contribution to road transport efficiency based on several important criteria, including technological innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, fuel economy, environmental ‘footprint’ and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
With its latest Range T, Renault Trucks has designed and developed a brand-new, long-distance truck line-up that represents a huge step forward over its previous heavy-duty models. At the same time, Range T combines and improves upon the best qualities found in its Magnum and Premium Route predecessor models, not least in terms of comfort, prestige and fuel-saving features.
In particular, Range T’s new trapezoidal-shaped cab with its 12-degree sloped A-pillars, excellent noise insulation, comfortable new seats, and main function controls close to the steering wheel represent a ‘state-of-the-art’ solution to achieving low aerodynamic resistance, whilst offering good all-around visibility and a pleasant working and resting environment for professional truck drivers.
All these features were particularly noted by the International Truck of the Year journalists during a recent 600 km field-test drive, from Venice to Rome in Italy, along a challenging highway mountain route.
The ITOY Group also praised the fuel efficiency and performance of the Range T’s driveline, based on its Euro-6 DTI 11 and DTI 13 engines, combined with the advanced features of the latest Optidriver automated transmission. The jury members further appreciated Renault’s ‘Eco Cruise’ control, with its choice of three different settings, which allows the driver to select the best mode for optimum fuel consumption, thereby not only reducing the Range T’s TCO but also its overall emissions.
Summing up the jury’s vote, the International Truck of the Year Chairman, Gianenrico Griffini, commented: “The new Range T combines the best features found in Renault Trucks’ previously-successful models, together with the advanced functions built into its latest generation of heavy-duty products. The result is one of the most significant new truck launches for many years”.