Australian truck dealerships find it increasingly easier to convince buyers of the merits of Allison fully automatic transmissions

SYDNEY - Allison transmissions are now the preferred choice for distribution vehicles operating in Australia's metropolitan areas, with all leading Japanese OEMs offering Allison automatics in their line-ups, to meet the increased demand. As more fully automatic trucks become available in the Australian market, the benefits and features Allison offers over manual and automated manual transmissions (AMTs) are being highlighted by dealers and sales consultants.

Thousands of trucks fitted with Allison automatic transmissions are imported into Australia each year, and the majority of these are used in distribution work as more and more operators experience the value and efficiency delivered by fully automatic vehicles.

"Most buyers have already visited our competitors in the medium-duty market and have seen the manual and automated manual options available," said Jim Lekkas, a sales consultant at UD Trucks. "So I start by explaining the difference between automatics and AMTs to help them understand the concept."

For sales consultants, selling the automatic concept to truck buyers is all about logic and first-hand experience - presenting the efficiency advantages of Allison automatics over the alternatives and then letting buyers drive the truck for themselves.

According to Lekkas, most of his customers are used to manual trucks and drive automatic cars. "I simply emphasize the logic of considering automatic transmissions in their trucks, particularly in urban distribution work," he said. "The fact is they are easier to drive than manuals and AMTs, so drivers will finish a shift less fatigued. They can concentrate on steering rather than changing gears, so they are more relaxed, less stressed and perform better.

"It is then a matter of highlighting the advantages an automatic has in terms of reduced driveline and brake wear, which minimise vehicle downtime, as well as the advantages of uninterrupted power shifting," said Lekkas.

Almost 90 percent of the medium-duty UD trucks sold from the Sydney dealership are now Allison-equipped automatics, underlining the success of using these clear advantages to sell buyers on the concept.

"Truck buyers have experienced the cost and reduced productivity that comes from having to change clutches and other driveline components in manual trucks, so when you explain that with the Allison automatic you can cover more than 240,000 km without even touching the transmission fluid, it really makes them sit up and take notice," said Lekkas .

Allison's long history and its global leadership in engineering automatic transmissions are also points Lekkas makes to potential buyers.

"By the time potential buyers hear all of those messages, the automatic proposition clearly presents as the best option, and that is born out by the fact that most medium-duty UD trucks sold today are Allison-equipped automatics," said Lekkas. "Buyers understand the Allison Automatic is proven technology - one they can rely on - and if anything does go wrong, Allison has the expertise to rectify it quickly."

About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world's largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. Formore information, visit allisontransmission.com.

Holly Zhang
Allison Transmission Asia Pacific holly.zhang@allisontransmission.com
+86 (10) 6468-6800 ext. 8818
Room 319, Block C, Guomen Building
#1 Zuo Jia Zhuang, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100028, China