Scania delivers test vehicles for major Dutch defence order

Scania delivers test vehicles for major Dutch defence order Scania handed over two test vehicles to the Dutch defence authorities at a ceremony held on Friday at Huijbergen in the Netherlands. The vehicles will undergo a year of testing as part of negotiations concerning the supply of up to 1,500 all-wheel-drive vehicles to the Dutch defence forces. The Dutch defence authorities invited tenders for the order in 1999. The combined army, navy and air force requirement is for a minimum of 785 and a maximum of more than 1,400 hook-lift vehicles with the wheel configuration 8x8 - i.e. four-axle all-wheel-drive vehicles - built for carrying and loading/unloading containers. Scania's 8x8 chassis was premiered at EuroSatory, the European military equipment show in Paris last year. The scope of supply will include at least 375 kits of mine and ballistic protection for retrofitting. Unveiled for the first time in autumn 1999, Scania's internationally acclaimed mine and ballistic-protected vehicle cab is the product of a joint venture between Scania and the Swedish Defence Matériel Administration (FMV). Scania has already signed a contract with FMV for the supply of a total of 66 mine-shielded, 8x8 cross-country vehicles of the same type as those now proposed for the Netherlands. The series production vehicles will be built at Scania's assembly plant at Zwolle in the Netherlands. For further information, please contact Heikki Fant, tel. +46 70- 7583059. Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. With 26,900 employees and production facilities in Europe and Latin America, Scania is one of the most profitable companies in its sector. In 2000, turnover totalled SEK 53,800 million and the result after financial items was SEK 4,500 million. Scania products are marketed in about 100 countries worldwide and some 95 percent of Scania's vehicles are sold outside Sweden. Scania press releases are available on the Internet, www.scania.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/07/20011207BIT00560/bit0002.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/07/20011207BIT00560/bit0002.pdf