General Motors will officially end production of the Chevrolet Malibu this fall after years of uncertainty and rumor following GM's quiet acknowledgment that it was getting out of the four-door business for good.
The Malibu is one of Chevy's oldest nameplates and dates to 1964, however it took a hiatus from 1984-1996. The sedan's departure will make way for a new vehicle — another small one. The Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas will be retooled to build the replacement Chevrolet Bolt.
By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant and Partner/RobertsTrousdell Communications
How do upfitters actually decide which products they’re going to develop each year? And, what goes into the design and manufacturing process that makes one upfitter different from another?
Looking for a little clarity on the subject, as I walked the floor at this year’s NAFA I & E, I decided to ask some of the industry’s top providers how they develop products for customer upfits.
At Ranger Design, product design is, perhaps, the most important function of the company, according to Peter Young, EVP of Business Development.
For the team at JP Poindexter-owned Masterack, determining which products to produce “revolves around the customer,” according to Wayne Steele, VP of Engineering.
By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant and partner, RobertsTrousdell Marketing and Communications
After several challenging years caused by the pandemic and a perception that it was a largely a government fleet-focused event, the NAFA I & E came roaring back with a 2024 edition that had fleet professionals buzzing.
Held on April 22-24, this year’s I & E saw over 2,100 attendees pack the San Antonio Convention Center for three spirited days of networking, learning, and exploring new products with their fleet peers.
The event also featured packed sessions, keynote speakers, an immersive Ride & Drive, and an interactive innovation zone where exhibiting companies displayed new products and services.
Amazon is deploying 50 battery-electric heavy-duty trucks in California, which it claims is the largest such fleet in the country. The company says the new trucks represent an important step in its mission to eliminate pollution from its global operations — even as its carbon emissions have spiked in recent years.
Amazon says the heavy-duty trucks are produced by Volvo VNR, a division of the Swedish automaker that makes Class 8 tractor trailers.
The trucks will be integrated into first-mile operations, in which goods are moved from container ships at the ports to fulfillment centers, as well as middle-mile operations, in which packages are transported from fulfillment centers to delivery centers. From there, the packages will be loaded into Amazon’s last-mile fleet, a portion of which are electric delivery vans produced by Rivian.
Motus, an industry leader in vehicle reimbursement and risk mitigation solutions, announced the launch of Motus Protect to help companies identify and address potential liability from employees driving their own cars to do their jobs.
Phong Nguyen, CEO of Motus, commented, “In our current environment, the importance of risk management solutions like Motus Protect cannot be overstated. Employers are unfortunately one catastrophic event away from significant financial losses and damage to their corporate reputation."
Protect includes Auto Insurance Monitoring, Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Monitoring and Driver Training, which collectively provide the essential tools for due diligence and risk management.