Three of Scania's new-generation trucks will undergo testing in New Zealand in the next few months.

National distributor CablePrice will work with Scania to evaluate different configurations of the new generation truck in various applications, in preparation for the model's NZ introduction.

Mike Davidson, CablePrice's national sales manager for commercial vehicles, says that no local launch date has been set, but he's confident that the extensive testing programme to evaluate the new model will confirm its suitability for Kiwi operators.

And he adds: "We are committed to working these evaluation units hard in NZ's challenging conditions."

To date, the new generation Scania has been available only in European markets, and Davidson says it has broken new ground in the trucking industry "with the introduction of passenger car-like safety features such as side curtain airbags and (has) demonstrated class-leading fuel consumption."

The truck also promises the very latest advances in automotive technology, together with a wide array of digital connected services. The combination of these features can help operators accurately track the performance of trucks, resulting in lower maintenance costs and improved uptime, says CablePrice.

The NZ programme will run for several months, with the performance data gathered sent back to Scania engineers in Sweden.

Meanwhile, Scania Australia boss Mikael Jansson has reportedly told Aussie media that the new generation truck will be launched there next month – with the first customer trucks expected to go on the road there in the second half of the year.