DAF (automobiles)

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DAF Trucks NV

logo
legal form Naamloze vennootschap
founding 1928
Seat Eindhoven , NetherlandsNetherlandsNetherlands 
management Harry Wolters (President)
Branch Heavy commercial vehicles (trucks)
Website www.daf.eu

Billboard from the early days (semi-trailers)
DAF XF 105

DAF ( Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek NV ) is a Dutch truck manufacturer . It belongs to the US Paccar group. Passenger cars were also manufactured between 1959 and 1975.

history

In 1928, Hub van Doorne founded Hub van Doorne, Machinefabriek en Reparatieinrichting in Eindhoven in the legal form of a limited partnership (Commanditaire vennootschap). At the beginning, the company concentrated on welding and forging work for the Eindhoven inland shipping and Philips , but also articulated buses - semitrailers . The Great Depression of the 1930s forced the brothers Van Doorne - now also Hub van Doornes younger brother was Wim van Doorne on companies involved - to look for new job areas.

In 1932 the company was renamed Van Doorne's Aanhangwagenfabriek NV (DAF) and converted into a public limited company (Dutch Naamloze vennootschap NV). From then on, the company concentrated exclusively on the manufacture of heavy-duty truck trailers. In 1936, with the DAF Losser one of the first containers - trailer of the world developed.

During the Second World War , own towing vehicles were built for the first time , namely heavy artillery tugs for the military. After the war, the name was changed to Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek NV in 1948

In 1949, in addition to producing trailers, DAF began building its own trucks, which were initially equipped with diesel engines from the British manufacturer Leyland for a long time . One of the strengths of DAF truck production was the forward control cabs that were offered right from the start , the shape of which was repeatedly adapted to contemporary tastes: initially rounded, then from the 1960s onwards angular. From the 1950s to 1972, hooded cars were also part of the range.

From 1958 passenger cars (see below) were also produced with the DAF 600 , the Daffodil series and the DAF 33 to 66 models . The DAF cars in particular through their Variomatic - gear known. This is an infinitely variable V-belt automatic with a centrifugal clutch that enables jerk-free driving. The belt pulleys are adjustable via centrifugal governors and via diaphragm cylinders acted upon by the intake pipe pressure via control valves. In front of the automatic was a reversing gear that could be shifted by hand so that the cars could move forward as quickly as they could backward.

The last passenger car developed by DAF, the DAF 77 , was a mid-range model with Variomatic, which was then launched as the Volvo 343 and was produced in the Netherlands.

Before the Second World War, DAF had worked with Ford in the production of trucks , after the war DAF started its own truck production with the DAF A30. The A50 and DAF A10 followed later. The first trucks were equipped with Leyland and Perkins engines.

In 1963 DAF brought out the Type 2600, the first modern truck that was fundamentally different from the pre-war products. From 1968 onwards, the driver's cab could be tilted forward. A modular system with a large number of identical components made it possible to produce different driver's cabs for different requirements.

In the 1970s, DAF was part of the " Four Club ", which also included Saviem , Magirus-Deutz and Volvo .

During this time it was a big problem for DAF to find qualified personnel for production. In the following economic turmoil, the car division was transferred to Volvo. Truck production continued and DAF was included in the "International Harvester" group. The Atkinson and Pegaso companies were also part of this network. However, the lack of investment prompted DAF to leave this merger.

In 1987 DAF took over the British manufacturer Leyland . This suddenly gave DAF two “home markets”, Great Britain and the Netherlands . In addition, the merger has significantly expanded production capacity. In 1988 the series 95 was introduced with great success. It was with this model that DAF received its first “ Truck of the Yearaward . In the following years this series was expanded to include the 45/55 and 65/75/85 series.

After the complete takeover of Leyland, DAF also tried to take over the Spanish truck manufacturer Pegaso . Pegaso was in a difficult position because of ongoing losses. In 1989 DAF made a takeover offer. However, the merger did not take place. The Iveco Group took over Pegaso.

DAF intended to play a bigger role in the European commercial vehicle market. Therefore, the company went public .

For the construction of light trucks, DAF had agreed to work with Leyland before the takeover. The latter manufactured light trucks for DAF under license. After the takeover, the Leyland Sherpa was further developed into the Freight Rover, later the DAF 200, followed by the heavier DAF 400. The Leyland Roadrunner was initially marketed as the DAF 800 but was soon renamed the DAF 45. The DAF 55 was developed on this basis. When the truck market got into severe turbulence, DAF had to file for bankruptcy in 1993. The company started a fresh start in the same year under the name "DAF Trucks NV" and was taken over in 1996 by the American commercial vehicle manufacturer Paccar .

It took 19 years to process the bankruptcy. The proceedings ended in 2012, making it one of the longest bankruptcies in the Netherlands. A total of EUR 500 million was paid to more than 1,100 creditors, corresponding to a rate of 10%.

In 1998 the successor to the DAF 95, the 95 XF, was presented. In 2007 the XF 105 was voted “Truck of the Year”. The 750,000th truck rolled off the assembly line on April 19, 2007.

In October 2013, DAF opened an assembly plant in Ponta Grossa, Brazil, for 320 million euros. Trucks for the South American market are built here.

In July 2016, DAF and four other European truck manufacturers were fined 2.93 billion euros for illegal price fixing. DAF's share was € 752 million.

Production sites :

  • Eindhoven (Netherlands)
  • Westerlo (Belgium)
  • Leyland (United Kingdom)
  • Ponta Grossa (Brazil)

Truck models

Like other commercial vehicle manufacturers , DAF has divided its models into series .

class model series
light trucks LF
medium-duty trucks CF
heavy trucks XF

photos

selection

construction time selection
1962-1974
1973-1986
1987-1996
1997-2002
2002-2006
since 2006
since 2012
since 2015

Car models

photos

Production period and volume

model Years of construction manufactured vehicles annotation
DAF 600 1959-1963 30,591
DAF 750 1961-1963 16,767
DAF 30 1961-1963 23,045 called "Daffodil"
DAF 31 1963-1965 56,200 called "Daffodil"
DAF 32 1965-1967 53,674 called "Daffodil"
DAF 44 1966-1974 167.902
DAF 33 1967-1974 131,621
DAF 55 1968-1972 153.263
* DAF 55 marathon 1971/1972 10,967
DAF 66 1972-1975 101,967 From 1976, continued production as the Volvo 66
* DAF 66 marathon 1972/1973 14,382
* DAF 66 Marathon 1300 1973-1975 23,074
* DAF 66 YA 1974/1975 1,201 Military vehicle
DAF 46 1974-1976 32,353 Sold as DAF one year after the takeover by Volvo

Web links

Commons : DAF  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In a good mood and almost forgotten · The history of articulated buses . In: Last & Kraft , issue 2/92, Edition Diesel Queen, Berlin 1992
  2. history. In: DAF. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .
  3. Megaboete van 752 miljoen voor DAF na illegal prijsafspraken. In: omroepbrabant.nl. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .
  4. daf-worldwide. In: daf.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016 .