Clean Energy, Clean Streets: Autocar Announces Partnership with Elgin Sweeper Company

HAGERSTOWN, IN--August 31, 2011: Autocar, the first name in alternative fuel and custom severe-service trucks, is pleased to announce the formation of a Strategic Partnership between Autocar Industries, LLC and Federal Signal's Elgin Sweeper Company, North America's leading street sweeper manufacturer.

“We are pleased and honored to launch the new Autocar Class 6 and 7 COE vehicle platform in coordination with the knowledge and expertise of the industry's leading sweeper company, Elgin Sweeper”

The two companies formed this ground breaking formal partnership and immediately created a team that worked together throughout the product development process to co-develop the industry's first ground up Class 7 COE truck specifically for sweepers. This chassis is the industry's first "fully joint engineered and integrated sweeper body with chassis" design. "We are pleased and honored to launch the new Autocar Class 6 and 7 COE vehicle platform in coordination with the knowledge and expertise of the industry's leading sweeper company, Elgin Sweeper," said Eric Schwartz, Vice President of the Specialty Vehicle Group for Autocar Industries. The goal of this project from day one was to design the cab-chassis to exactly match Elgin's needs, as if it were an Elgin designed truck, and the cab-chassis and sweeper body were all developed by one company, all with the goal of creating a combined integrated work tool. The two companies have been sharing engineering design strategy and CAD data from the beginning of this development project.

"Through the joint development process Autocar was able to ensure that it engineered and located cab-chassis components exactly where Elgin needed them, offered content and options demanded by Elgin's customers, and created optimized operator ergonomics on both sides of Autocar's factory designed and assembled dual steer system," said Eric Schwartz, Autocar's Vice President Specialty Vehicle Group.

Autocar's new Class 6 and 7 COE's, whose nameplate is the Autocar Xpert, will be assembled in Hagerstown, IN. The Class 7 COE dual steer cab-chassis designed in partnership with Elgin will be shipped to Elgin, IL for Sweeper body mount. "We believe Autocar and Elgin's joint customers will greatly benefit from this joint engineering and operations effort between the two companies through increased reliability, fewer cab-chassis-sweeper body field issues, and the elimination of all third party modifications necessary for dual steer configurations (as well as the elimination of related warranty support confusion and challenges)," said Brian Giles, Product Manager, Elgin Sweeper Company. The Autocar Xpert will make its formal debut at the APWA Show in Denver on September 20, 2011, and will be displayed with the Elgin Whirlwind sweeper, in Elgin Sweeper Booth 1000. Like all Autocar trucks, the Autocar Xpert will be exclusively offered with an Allison Transmission.

About Autocar:

Autocar, LLC, and Autocar Industries, LLC, are headquartered in Hagerstown, Indiana, manufacturer and marketers of Class 8 LCOE trucks, terminal tractors, and now Class 6 and 7 COE trucks, and are an affiliate of Highland Park, Illinois-based GVW Group, LLC.