Kenworth Hawaii Opens First Dealership Location in Hawaii

The first Kenworth dealership has opened  in Hawaii, allowing customers in the Aloha State to purchase KWs without going through stateside dealers. Photo: Kenworth

Kenworth Hawaii has opened a 14,500 square foot dealership in Kailua-Kona, allowing customers in the Aloha State to purchase Kenworth trucks without going through stateside dealers.

"By opening a Kenworth dealership group based here on the Islands, we've become more responsive to customers,” said Kevin Balog, dealer principal for Kenworth Hawaii. “We can offer a whole new level of service.”

The dealership will offer two service bays, a 2,000 square-foot parts display area, and 4,000 square-foot parts warehouse. The dealership is easily accessible to major routes connecting Kailua-Kona with the rest of the Big Island of Hawaii. It has a large parking lot and is just one block from the largest freight company on the Big Island.

Kenworth is also remodeling and opening another dealership location in Hilo, which is also on the Big Island. It will offer two service bays, a 3,600 square-foot parts warehouse, 1,000 square-foot parts display area, and a drivers' lounge.

“The addition of Kenworth Hawaii's Hilo and Kona locations will greatly enhance the Kenworth dealer network,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “We look forward to working with Kevin Balog to help provide industry-leading Kenworth trucks, technologies, parts and service to the trucking market in Hawaii.”

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Pressure Systems International’s Musgrave Named to MEMA Board of Directors

Tim Musgrave, president and CEO of Pressure Systems International, has been named to the board of directors of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association for a two-year term.

Musgrave is currently the chairman of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association, a division of MEMA, having served on the board since 2004 and as a member of the executive committee since 2013. He is part of the board's strategic planning group and has been an active participant in HDMA and MEMA's government affairs activities.

Musgrave has been president and CEO of Pressure Systems International for 25 years. Pressure Systems International manufactures, markets, and sells automatic tire inflation systems for various types of trailers.

He is also a former board member of the Heavy Duty Business Forum and a current active member of the group. HDBF is comprised of top executives of HDMA member companies who meet twice annually to discuss industry issues and challenges.

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Chinese Automaker Geely Buys Substantial Stake in Daimler

Chinese auto manufacturer Geely Holding has purchased a $9 billion stake in Germany's Daimler AG, making it the largest investor in the global car and truck maker, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Photo: Daimler AG

The $9 billion investment reportedly gives Geely just under a 10% stake in Daimler, surpassing a group from Kuwait that owned a 6.8% stake.

Geely is run by its chairman, noted Chinese billionaire entrepreneur Li Shifu. The firmi has been making several strategic investments in the global automotive world in recent years, including buying a $3.9 billion stake in Sweden's Volvo Trucks late last year. Geely previously acquired all of the Volvo Automobile Group.

Daimler characterized the transaction as a private investment by Li, according to a Reuters report. Why Geely decided to make the investment in Daimler remains unclear, but so far reports speculate that it could be aimed at the German company's experience in electric vehicle development.

Since purchasing the Volvo car operation from Ford in 2010, Geely has been praised for how it has revamped the Swedish automaker's lineup of cars. The brand's earnings increased in 2017 by 28%, marking the fourth year in a row of record sales.

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Geotab Surpasses 1M Subscribers

Graphic courtesy of Geotab.

Geotab has surpassed 1 million subscribers, which makes it one of the fastest growing global telematics. After launching its solution in 2006, Geotab has seen an average of 116% annual subscriber growth over the last 10 years, according to the company.

"Early in 2017, we announced our company team goal to be the first fleet telematics company to achieve one million connected vehicles built on a single, open platform," said Neil Cawse, Geotab's CEO. "Together we have grown to support over 21,000 businesses, 300,000 users, and 1,000,000 vehicles around the world by focusing on sustainability, scalability, reliability, and security."

For 17 years, Geotab has focused on enabling business growth with access to data from vehicles that help shape business planning. Geotab has a partner ecosystem that includes some of the leading wireless carriers, fleet management and OEM brands, and over 100 third party partner solutions that complement the Geotab platform within the Geotab Marketplace.

Geotab's open platform creates an environment where businesses can benefit from the integration of Geotab data into any system regardless of business size or operational needs, according to the company. Geotab processes more than 2 billion data points a day.

"Geotab has always focused on software-as-a-service, IoT (Internet of Things), connected vehicle, and data analytics, long before these words became a part of mainstream conversations," said Cawse. "The one million vehicles equipped with Geotab technology for their fleet management needs, not only contribute to optimizing their respective businesses but are contributing to a smarter, more connected world that leverages data to improve city operations and sustainability and create safer communities for all."

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10 Things You Must Know About Your Credit Score

Credit scores have the power to impact your financial well-being. Credit card companies, banks and credit unions are making it easy for customers to view their credit scores on demand, and often for free. Here are 10 things you need to know about your credit score, according to experts.

We got a 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43

Associate Editor Reese Counts brings a 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ43 to the office and takes it out on the road. The retro Land Cruiser is heavily upfitted by the FJ Company which includes a 4-liter V6 engine that makes 240 horsepower, an iPad center console, and a backup camera. Read the full the story at autoblog.com