Year/place: 1995 -, Södertälje (Formed in May 1995 when the remaining Saab-Scania is divided into Scania AB (trucks and buses) and Saab AB (aviation, space et cetera).)

For the Scania story until 1994, se my Saab-Scania page.

The new Scania
In the first part of the 1990s Saab-Scanias truck and bus business was growing. They had opened a production plant in France in 1992, an assembly plant in Poland in 1993, and a production plant in Mexico in 1994. Also in 1994 the DAB bus factory in Denmark became a part of Scanias production network.

In 1995 assembly of trucks began in South Africa and Mexico, and an assembly plant opened in Estonia, in Brazil a new cab factory and in Pakistan Scania was the first European truck manufacturer to start with local assembly.

The Access-ultralow bus was introduced, a 12-metre long low-floor city bus for the British market. Scania also unveiled the DAB-Silkeborg Midi City Bus, that can run on either on battery or be connected to a generator driven by a combustion engine.

The 4-series
The first two trucks in the new 4-series were presented at the end of 1995, for more than 600 Swedish and foreign journalists visiting Södertälje in Sweden.

Key concepts for the 4-series project were to achieve the best possible transport economy, reliability and environmental performance. Scanias flexible module concept is refined, and can meet various customers specific applications and individual wishes even better. Scania also aims to minimise the environmental impact all the way from pre-production engineering to recycling and reuse.

The 4-series has a new cab design, by Italian design house Bertone following Scanias specifications for the cab's dimensions, visibility angles and other criteria. The aerodynamic wedge-shaped design with flushmounted side windows, encapsulated rear-view mirrors and a bottom step that folds in when not in use lowers the fuel consumption. All 4-series cabs are made in steel, have air suspension and a new range of seats with integrated seat belts as standard.

A new frame of stronger steel gives less weight. The front has an underrun protection that lower the impact on other road users in case of a collission, and it is constructed to protect vulnerable components to help retain manoeuvrability after a collision.

Opticruise, Scanias system that helps control the engine and other parts of the powerline and brakes, is integrated. One use is to let it change gears automatically, another to let it handle the Scania retarder - a gearbox-mounted hydraulic auxiliary brake (if the car is bought with one) that can lower the use of the wheel brakes.

The first trucks in the 4-series is the R124 L with a new 12-litre 6-cylinder 400hp engine, and the R144 L with the 14-litre V8 460 or 530hp engine. The L-class is Scanias new class for heavy long-distance traffic on normal roads.

More and good news
1995 was a record-breaking year for Scania. Their shares of the heavy truck market increased by almost 2% points, and the eastern and central European markets doubled.

Among the truck orders during 1995 were orders of 150-200 from customers in Brazil, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Around 400 trucks were sold in Poland.

Also the Scania buses sold well, with large orders like 155 city buses in Brazil, 100 city buses in Great Britain and 46 bodied ethanol-fuelled buses to Stockholm, Sweden. In late 1995 Scania signed the largest bus order in Taiwan, 50 K113 buses for expanding express-bus service.

And the industrial and marine engines sold well, too. Among others 100 engines were sold for harvesting machines on Cuba, and in Spain the army bought 700 replacement engines.

Scania Alert, an anti-drowsiness system, was presented - a help for drivers to keep alert. It was developed together with the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden.

The 4-series was elected 'International Truck of the Year 1996', the truck industry's most highly-prized award, as the result of the votes from. 14 independent trade press journalists from all over Europe.

More passengers
In 1996 Scania entered a joint venture with China for bus production, with a planned production of 1.000 buses per year. The buses will be traded under the Shanscan name.

Scanias 800.000th vehicle since the companys start in 1891 was produced. (In 1997 about 400.000 of them were in operation.)

Also in 1996 Scania introduced the new environmentally adapted city bus, named OmniCity. It is the first model in the 4-series bus generation, styled by Scania. With a full-length low-level floor and ability to kneel, it is easy for passengers to get on and off the bus - even with a baby carriage. The construction of the traffic-ready bus is modular, using many components from the modular truck series. The brake system with four disc brakes and ABS is connected to the retarder in the automatic gearbox, and the retarder can provide up to 80% of all braking force.

The second bus model in the new 4-series was also launched, a chassis for suburban and interurban traffic.

Two orders of together 290 buses to Egypt and Great Britain helped making Scania the third largest bus producer, with one third of the production becoming tourist coaches.

In 1996 Scanias produced more than 42.000 vehicles, and was represented in more than 100 countries. Production and assembly went on in around 20 countries. Scania also was listed on the stock exchange in Stockholm and New York.

Whole lotta truckin' goin' on
When 1997 began Scania had completed the switchover to the 4-series in the European production. Based on the modular system the 4-series trucks could be bought in around 360 factory-supplied variants.

Scania had launched electronically controlled disc brakes. Seat belt tensioners and driver's airbag was options on R-cabs. For another kind of protection Scania offered the Scania VPS (Vehicle Protection System), a factory fitted alarm and immobiliser system with an optional assault alarm for personal protection.

Buyers who ordered factory fitted auxiliary heaters also got a remote control for the clock, timer and thermostat.

Among the Scania models were type R144 LA4x2NB 530. If you want to know more about the Scania types, read "What do the letters mean?". More about the four chassis classes L (long distances, normal roads), D (short distances, normal roads), C (demanding short distance transports, poor or non-existent roads) and G (demanding short-distance to long-haul transports, sub-standard roads) you find on L, D, C and G.

In summer 1997 the Scania 4-series was awarded "Best imported truck" in Germany and "Fleet Truck of the Year" in England.

Pieces of buses
The 4-series buses were based on 7 chassis modules - three types of front chassis modules (including the frame components and driver's station) and four rear chassis modules (including engine, transmission and rear axle). There were four chassis classes U (urban), I (interurban), E (express) and H (heavy duty, for difficult road conditions). Up to 85% of the components in tourist coach chassis are shared with trucks.

Read more about this on "Smart chassis modules for maximum flexibility" and on "Focus on safety and environmental care in Scania’s new buses".

Besides the positive effects for Scanias production and for the service providers handling of spare parts, it makes it easier to provide new features on both trucks and buses. So, the Scania Retarder (that controls the retarder, engine, anti-lock brakes and automatic traction control) and the Scania Opticruise (for governing the vehicle's powertrain) can be found on buses too.

Other positive effects were that the OmniCity bus (built by Scania complete with a body) had around 90% of its weight made of recyclable materials, and that there were more orders for buses powered by non-fossil fuels.

From 1997 the OmniCity bus is built in Denmark, France and Sweden.

Powerful and careful
A new 12-litre diesel engine had been introduced, with pump and injector integrated in a single unit. Its use in trucks was positive for fuel economy, performance and environment influence. In autumn 1997 a number of versions adapted for industrial and power generation applications were launched. Norwegian company Moxy, manufacturing heavy construction equipment, was the first customer to use such engines in a new range of articulated dumpers.

Maybe some of the 12-litre engines went to Bosnian customers, among the 300 trucks ordered during the autumn?

Scania became the first automotive manufacturer in Latin America to be certified according to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, in late 1997.

In early 1998 Scania completed the change over to the 4-series trucks and buses. In Africa, Europe and Latin America Scania had got uniform products, production systems and methods for their trucks, buses and engines.

Naturally the development of the 4-series didn't end there. Improvements on the trucks included better comfort and safety options for the drivers.

Another improvement was a new engine with low emissions of all regulated substances.

A credit for Scanias work with their engine development came in 1998 when the Swedish Energy Authority awarded Scania the 'EKO Energy Prize' for their ecology and economy work in the vehicle developments.

If you worked with computer systems these years, you probably remember 'Y2K'...   In autumn 1998 Scania became the first truck and bus manufacturer that could guarantee that its products were Year 2000 compliant.

For passengers and fires
50 Scania tourist coaches for a new road, that will be the result of an order from Trans-Island Limousine Service Ltd in Hong Kong for use between the new Chek Lap Kok airport and the city centre.

They will be sharing some city streets, unfortunately in some aspects, with other new Scania vehicles. Hong Kong's fire department has ordered another 22 fire trucks.

New bus models introduced in 1998 were Scania OmniLink, a low-entrance bus for city and intercity operations, and Scania Irizar Century. The Irizar Century is the first model in a new generation of tourist coaches, part of a major step in Scanias busbuilding operations beginning with sales of bodied buses to Austria.

In early 1999 Scania got the first major bus order in Morocco, of 70 city buses to Marrakech. In Sweden around half of the city buses Scania sold were ethanol-powered, one ground for Scania to be the largest supplier of ethanol-powered city buses on the planet.

For owners and drivers
In late 1998 Scania began a tour in Australia and South-East Asia together with Danish toy manufacturer Lego, as a playful way to inform about the positive effects for owners of Scanias modular vehicle construction.

In Belgium Scania began offering drivers a new training scheme, Scania Professional Driver, added to several driver-training courses in many countries. And for drivers who very often exit and re-enter the cab the Scania Frontline low-entrance cab was introduced. A concept truck, built by Scania and German trailer manufacturer Krone, was presented and demonstrated in a Hanover exhibition.

During 1998 many European drivers began driving new Scania trucks. 31.500 new Scania trucks were registred, making Scania the second leading make of heavy trucks in the western European market.

Scanias Laxå plant got new owners, Laxå Special Vehicles AB. They will continue producing special cabs for among others fire engines, but now with Scania as a customer.

A new Scania company, Scania Infotronics AB, started with the aim to integrate Scania trucks and buses into the world of informatics. Scania were one of the customers.

50 Belgian years and trucks
In 1999 Scania celebrated its first 50 years on the Belgian market, presenting an unique 'Limited Edition' truck model. 50 numbered trucks with the normal R sleeper cab or the high-roof Topline cab would be sold with leather driver's seat, exclusive carpets and a wooden dashboard.

50 trucks were sold to a customer in South Africa, and 3 times as many (150) buses were sold to customers in Dubai and Egypt. 12 times as many (600) trucks was bought by UK supermarket chain Tesco.

I don't know how many luxury vessels they sell, but Swedish Storebro Royal Cruiser and Italian Off Course Power Boats decided to install Scania engines in their latest ones.

The Swedish springtime also included two other positive news for Scania. Scania in Sweden received an ISO 14001 accreditation, and Scania Opticruise passed the tests by the Swedish Rescue Service Agency for use in fire engines in the BAS 1 class.

Bus number 100 was delivered from the Estonian assembly plant, launching a new bus concept in Estonia. During rush hours the bus had a trailer which raised the capacity to around 200 passengers.

In mid 1999 even more Scania trucks were ordered - for better or worse weather conditions, depending on your taste. Among others 70 tractor units to Saudi Arabia and 67 trucks for snowploughing in Austria.

In September Scania signed a preliminary agreement to start local bus production in Pakistan, where Scania in 1995 was the first European truck manufacturer to start with local assembly. Pakistan's central planning authority worked to initiate a modernisation programme of some 15.000 city buses over a period of 3 years.

Truckin' in the 2010s
In September 1999 Scania let participators at a road safety seminar in Brussels make a visit on the trucking roads of the 2010s. A part of the journey was made via a 2 year old quarter-scale model truck.

Now Scania has a full-scale operating prototype that will be used as a rolling laboratory for a lot of ideas.

The aim is to produce more efficient trucks that can take more payload, use less fuel, be safer in traffic and reduce the wear on the roads. Seems needed, since studies within the European Union indicated a 50% increase in road transports during the following 10 years.

With increased use of aluminium and high-tensile steel the weight of the truck can be reduced. The concept truck has a technical gross weight of 64 tonnes.

The concept truck is streamlined in several ways to reduce turbulence - to attain lower air resistance and thereby lower fuel consumption. Among others the cab has a small bonnet and is as high as the height of the vehicle. Sideskirts also acts as underrun protection, and covered wheels also reduces the wheel spray in wet weather. The truck and the trailer has flaps at the rear, reducing air drag at higher speeds.

The cabs bonnet also acts as a crumple zone in case of a frontal collision. The concept truck has a new type of tyre, developed together with the tyre manufacturer Michelin. These have improved grip, lower rolling resistance and weigh less.

4 of the 8 axles are steered, so more tyres follow the track instead of 'rubbing off rubber' at turns and corners as a conventional semitrailer rig with stiff bogie does. This also gives the 28-metre concept truck the maneuverability of a 16,5-metre semitrailer combination.

Leaving the 20th century
Among the late 20th century news from Scania were the 2nd generation Electronic Braking System (EBS), with electronic monitoring of the actual weight on axles to proportion the braking power. A gas engine was introduced for trucks working in urban areas, and 120 gas-powered buses were sold to Australia.

Scania Tanzania celebrated its first 25 years, and a new bus concept was introduced. A joint project involving Scania and Brazilian bodybuilder Marcopolo has resulted in a bus for long-distance operations in areas with poor roads.

To cut the time from order to delivery of a vehicle, Scania introduced a new service that lets bodybuilders see drawings of an ordered chassis before it is delivered to them. With this service they can prepare bodies in advance.

To help operators manage their transports, Scania launched a computer interface to the on-board data bus enabling fleet management systems to derive and process data from the vehicles.

When the 20th century ended, Scania was the sole manufacturer to have a global product and production system. The same environmental and quality systems (ISO 9000 and ISO 14000) were used throughout Scanias global production system. That's worth appreciation!

And 1999 was a new record year for Scanias in the Western European heavy truck market, with a little over 35.000 trucks registred.

More power
More power for military armoured vehicles was shown at the annual Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, with the debut for Scanias new purpose-built 16-litre V8 engine for military applications. The DI16 engine combines extremely compact dimensions with high power and torque outputs. Outputs range from 550 to 700 hp. Naturally many parts and design solutions are similar or identical to Scania's other engines, familiar to service workers. Later in 2000 Switzerland became the first buyer of the new engine.

A little more power for purely human service purpose was the gift to the International Red Cross - Scanias millionth vehicle. A 3-axle tractor that after its helpful service will be retired in the Scania museum.

The power of Scanias production system was used when the number 1.000.000 vehicle was produced. When the truck was assembled in the Netherlands the parts had been delivered from 11 production plants in 5 countries in Europe and Latin America.

More transport power is given by various Scania multi-wheelers. At IAA 2000 a double-drive rear-steer 8-wheeler was displayed. Scania has also developed an all-wheel-drive 8-wheeler, based on modular components from Scania's standard vehicle range.

Computer power is used in the fleet analysis system introduced in 2000, consisting of a handheld computer and office software. With this accessory drivers can analyse their day-to-day work and operators can monitor the performance of their vehicle fleets.

Busy bus business
At IAA 2000 Scania exhibited the full width of their fully-built bus range.

OmniCity, the city bus with its aluminium body and full-length low floor was available in 12-metre configuration or 3-axle 18-metre articulated bus.

OmniLink, the city and suburban bus had the same low floor as the OmniCity all the way to the middle door.

OmniLine now extended the Scania Omni range. An intercity bus available in lengths of 12 and 13.5 metres and with a choice of two floor heights, 960 and 860 mm respectively. The latter was developed to meet German demands for a bus suitable for intercity operations during the week and tourist services at weekends. It had an aluminium body and full-length low floor. Power came from a Scania 9-litre Euro 3 engine. The OmniLine conformed to the European ECE R66 roll-over test standards for tourist coaches.

Century luxury tourist coach was available in a 12-metre 4x2 variant or 15-metre 6x2 configuration. An option for the 3-axle version was Scania’s hydraulically steered tag axle to improve maneuverability and reduce tyre wear. The lower body section was made of stainless steel. It could take up to 57 passengers, depending on chosen interior design. It had independent front suspension, disc brakes, integrated retarder and seat belts on all seats as standard. More than 80% of the chassis and powertrain components were the same as in Scania’s truck models.

During the second half of 2000 Scania announced breakthroughs in more new markets. Among the orders were 44 OmniCity to Italy, 50 city buses to Rostov in Russia, and Scanias first 13 city buses to the city of Luxemburg.

Additions in 2001
In early 2001 Scania added the new Euro 3 version of the 12-litre 470-hp 6-cylinder engine, with new turbo and fuel injection technologies, to its production.

In September the 14-litre V8 was added to Scanias history, after 32 years in production.

An additional 22 mine and ballistic-protected cross-country vehicles were ordered by FMV (the Swedish Defence Matériel Administration) for international peacekeeping operations. With this order 66 8x8 vehicles would be delivered to FMV.

Another heavy-duty addition was presented at the annual international building and construction fair Bauma 2001 in Munich - Scania’s new heavy-haulage tractor concept. Exhibited was a R164 8-wheeler powered by Scania’s new 16-litre 580hp V8 engine.

In the normal 4-series trucks the bonneted T164 was added to Scanias range-topping V8-powered models.

Added knowledge for drivers can save fuel consumption, so Scania developed the Performance analyser. Using it, drivers can among others become aware of the characteristics of their engine, the optimum interplay of engine and gearbox and how to make the best use of the momentum on the road.

In October 2001 Rei de Estrada (King of the Road) - Scanias prestige model - was added to the model range in Brazil and became the most powerful truck on the Brazilian market. It was also the first heavy truck having an engine complying with Euro 3, the emission standard that will come into force in Brazil in 2005.

European transport traffic will get an addition of new Scania trucks used by Austrian company Interliner Transporte & Spedition, after the largest order in Austria that far: 450 Scania trucks.

Almost as a Christmas gift Scania special vehicles got their largest order, of 60 fire engines to the Malaysian national fire and rescue service Bomba who needed additional fire fighting power. Other Scania special vehicles, 23 RIVs (Rapid Intervention Vehicles), was ordered for the Brazilian Air Force.

For future safety and comfort
In November 2001 Scanias safety concept vehicle was launched in conjunction with a road safety conference in Brussels.

Focus for the concept truck was to enhance visibility and active safety using the latest technology in a realistic manner. The warning systems are activated/actuated by various kinds of sensors. They are always on, but only alert the driver when needed. Most commands and alerts in the cab use a voice interface, and the driver can respond by voice or by controls on the dashboard or the on-board PC.

The driver is identified with a smart-card, the breath analysed and the driving times monitored. Adaptive cruise control (ACC) works as a normal cruise control or adapts the speed to other vehicles travelling in front. The truck has stability systems, and the all-steel cab has safety features like seat-mounted seatbelts, seatbelt pretensioners and an airbag on the drivers side.

Adding a few wide-angle and close-up mirrors reduces the blind-spots, and cameras cover angles where mirrors can't help the drivers view. Images from cameras on the sides are shown on displays mounted on the corresponding A-post, where it is natural for the driver. Images from the rearmost backing-camera (on the truck or trailer) and from the night-vision camera are displayed in front of the driver.

The lane-departure system monitors the trucks position in relation to the white lines on the road, and if the system get indications that the position begins to be wrong it gives an audio signal through the radio loudspeaker on the relevant side. The ice warning system reads the road surface temperature. The night-vision camera is extra sensitive to thermal radiation from humans and animals. A Bluetooth headset give the driver wireless communication with the on-board PC or the mobile telephone when moving around the truck.

In September 2002 Scania presented a solution to another future question: What will the demands on the cabs be, if drivers shall take trucks on very long distances? Say, trips over 12.000 kilometres taking up to 2 weeks...

Scania unveiled Scania eXc, the ultimate long-haulage machine, a full-scale concept truck at the 2002 IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, facing the possibility of the opening of 'The Silk Road of the 21st century'.

Using standard modules as a base, Scania ergonomics and styling specialists built a CrewCab-long sleeper cab. It is fitted with among others a large spring mattress that don't have to be folded away when not used, microwave owen, coffee maker and washstand with sink and running water. A DVD palyer and a flat-screen TV can make the spare time more pleasant.

Production changes
Various production changes that took place in 2002 included a co-operation agreement with Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd (Hino). In October Scania made its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show, as one result of the business alliance.

Scania continued to concentrate the cab production to Sweden, and the production in the Netherlands was taken over by a new facility in Oskarshamn. The Polish plant in Slupsk changed from assembly of trucks to city and intercity buses. In St. Petersburg an plant opened for bodyworking city buses for the Russian market. The chassis were produced in Sweden.

In April 2003 Scania and MAN Nutzfahrzeuge made a long-term agreement for joint development and supply of gearboxes and axles. Scania opened the Scania Korea Jinsa Complex in Sacheon in May 2003, Scanias biggest facility to date in Asia.

Good news for Scania and drivers
In mid 2002 Scania was awarded "Truck of the Year" in Russia in the best imported heavy vehicle category. The jury consisted of leading Russian trade journalists.

In late September 2003 Scania became the first foreign heavy truck make to receive Japanese type approval, which can open a new market for Scania vehicles.

The same month production of the Scania Longline began, a result of the great interest of customers and journalists over the Scania eXc concept truck displayed at the 2002 IAA show. The extended R-cab is only sold in combination with Scania's most powerful V8 engine.

Scania launched a new deformable crash-zone concept for trucks, estimated to result in saving 900 lives per year on European roads. The front underrun protection, standard equipment on long-haulage 4-series trucks since 1995, was updated to meet new rules within the EU.

At the start of 2004
Scanias concentration in the heavy transport segment has led the company to a position among the leading manufacturers of heavy trucks and buses. Scania also produces industrial and marine engines, and markets and sells a range of service-related products and financing services.

More than 28.000 Scania employees work in more than 100 countries. For more than seven decades, Scania has reported a profit every year.

The product list at the start of 2004 is more comprehensive than you may think of.

Naturally there are the various usual trucks for Long-haulage, Distribution and Construction - both tractors (made to connect a trailer to) and rigids (made to get any kind of payload platform).

And the buses. Both the fully-built Scania Omni range and the bus chassis range for City bus, Suburban bus, Intercity bus, Express coach, Tourist coach and Multipurpose coach (chassis for more demanding conditions).

Industrial and marine engines are sold for use in among others forestry equipment, vehicles for railway and airport maintenance, ferries, fishing vessels, patrol boats, luxury cruisers and in power generation facilities.

Then you can buy a number of special trucks, like: