Around the Industry 177 - Part 3

Around the Industry 177 - Part 3

US ARMY REPLACES HUMVEE WITH OSHKOSH JLTV

The venerable AM General HMMWV, (aka Humvee or Hummer) has had a long and distinguished service as the US militaries frontline general-purpose all-terrain vehicle. However, the battlefield has changed, and the Humvee has become quite antiquated. With the advent of IED’s and guerrilla tactics, the Humvee transformed from a large Jeep, to a heavily laden armoured tank on wheels that destroyed its performance capabilities.

As such, the days of the Humvee are numbered as the US Army has announced that it has awarded Oshkosh with a $6.7 billion contract to replace the outdated Humvee with the new JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle). After a decade of development, Oshkosh says that the JLTV has been designed “to provide the ballistic protection of a light tank, the underbody protection of an MRAP-class vehicle, and the off-road mobility of a Baja racer.” The new JLTV’s will start making their way into military units in about ten months time. As for Canadian Forces armoured vehicles, the issue plagued TAPV Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle has undergone reengineering and testing in hopes that it will be in operation in early 2016.

WRANGLER PICKUP ON AGAIN

While we are quite certain that the next generation Wrangler will offer a much-anticipated pickup package, the rumour surrounding the unicorn open-back Jeep continues to flip flop. However, we received one more hint that FCA are taking a serious look at a pickup as the Automotive News is reporting that FCA will be moving Jeep Cherokee production from the Toledo plant to the Sterling Heights Assembly plant in Michigan or Belvidere plant in Illinois. That would free up the second production line in Toledo, either allowing Jeep to increase Wrangler production, or move another platform in.

Automotive News suggests that some suppliers are planning for an eventual combined production run between the two plants of 350,000 units, which means that the Jeep pickup plant would likely be able build 50,000 vehicles annually per shift, assuming a maximum of three shifts. Or perhaps they are preparing for the upcoming 2018 Wagoneer. As for the Wrangler, we should know soon what FCA have up their sleeves as the next generation is slotted for release in 2017.

ROUSH FLAUNT SPECIAL EDITION F-150

Motorsports giant, ROUSH, has released details on the 2015 ROUSH F-150. The special edition F-150 features a host of aggressive body additions including: a front grille design with clearance lightning, front bumper cover, fender flares with clearance lighting and a square “R” hitch cover. A deep rumble comes from the F-150’s aggressive side-exit exhaust system. Suspension has been upgraded with FOX 2.0 coilovers sitting on 20-in wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Baja ATZP3 305/55 rubber.

The ROUSH F-150 also receives a graphics package including a hood graphic, windshield banner, side rocker heritage graphics, and a tailgate graphic. There is also an optional bedside off-road-themed graphic. Inside, molded front and rear floor liners by WeatherTech protect the carpets, and a serialized console badge documents the ROUSH authenticity. We couldn’t help but recognize the lack of actual power upgrades, but ROUSH have hinted that a supercharged version of the F-150 is planned for release later this year.

CONTINENTAL’S REMOTE CONTROL TRAILER REVERSING SYSTEM READY FOR 2018

International automotive supplier, Continental, has developed a remote control system to make the task of backing a trailer easier. This trailer detection and control system – called Trailer Reverse Assist – uses an Intelligent Rear Camera Module for enhanced viewing and trailer detection. The trailer can be steered with a control knob from inside the vehicle. This technology will be ready for production by 2018. Optionally, a wireless tablet/smart device can be used to remotely execute backing and parking operations from outside the vehicle, much like Land Rovers new technology we reported on last issue.

The system works via the Intelligent Rear Camera Module integrated with the vehicle's 360-degree Surround View system that detects a trailer, measures its articulation angle and displays the projected path to the driver. The system requires a 360-degree Surround View, which consists of four Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Megapixel 185-degree fisheye cameras; an electronic brake control module; an electric power steering system; and, a scalable human-machine interface device (e.g. smart device) is necessary. The system is designed to be fully scalable, depending on the level of trailer backing assistance the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) wishes to offer the customer.