Louder is cheaper
TRUCK manufacturers in UK never had it so good. And all it took for their trucks to sell like never before were new EU guidelines on noise and emission requirements in commercial vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. The new guidelines - Euro 2 - came into effect on all such vehicles after October 1 this year.
Statistics reveal that the month of September saw a dramatic increase of 121 per cent in truck registrations which slumped by nearly 40 per cent in October. Meeting Euro 2 standards raises the cost of truck by five per cent and this explains the sudden spurt inregistrations and the resultant slump. Manufacturers, in order to clear the old stocks, were also offering discounts. According to David Thomas, director of commercial vehicles at Mercedes-Benz, UK, the British and to a certain extent, the French transport industry, "I take some time to warm up to the idea of new rules. Native drivers seem to have a fondness for Euro I models which complied with less stringent noise and emission standards.