MAN SE on June 7 announced that while it understands the “industrial logic” of “closer cooperation” between MAN, Scania and Volkswagen (VW), the recent VW offering price for MAN is too low.

A satirical June 8 report from the car-enthusiast Jalopnik web site points out that Nissan has employed a diesel truck with a diesel generator to recharge a total of 86, pilot-test Nissan “Leaf” electric vehicles (EVs) in Japan when the car batteries unexpectedly ran out of power earlier than predicted.

Navistar reported adjusted net income of US$80 million for its fiscal second-quarter 2011 ended April 30, 2011, versus $43 million in fiscal second-quarter 2010.

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced June 9 that it plans to hike truck production and recall laid-off workers at its Mount Holly, N.C., and Portland, Ore., manufacturing plants during the last half of 2011.

BorgWarner announced June 3 that it has signed its first-ever variable-turbocharger-geometry (VTG) and “torque on demand” (TOD) technology (with proprietary software) deal for China, with Great Wall Motor.

The 2011 edition of the annual BP Statistical Review of World Energy shows that global middle distillate demand recovered in 2010 following recession-caused declines in 2008 and 2009.

Axens on June 10 announced that its “Prime-D” hydrotreating technology is behind the successful start-up of Euro-5 (10 parts per million sulfur) ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) production at Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery.

London-based CME Clearing announced June 8 that it launched over-the-counter (OTC) trading for diesel and biodiesel contracts for Europe.

India’s so-called Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) in charge of deciding government policy on diesel, kerosene and LPG prices once again cancelled a meeting (for the third time in two months) that was supposed to have happened on June 9.

A new study by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch finds that Germany, China and India are driving global diesel prices higher thanks to those countries’ relatively strong economies.

Estonia-based Viru Keemia Grupp announced June 9 a plant to meet 80% of the country’s diesel fuel needs by 2020.

Praxair announced June 6 an expansion of hydrogen supply capacity in Texas and Louisiana and extending its Mississippi River corridor hydrogen pipeline system under long-term supply agreements for 270 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd) with Valero Energy.

Neste Oil announced June 7 that it’s launching tests of 23 tanker-trucks running on 100% “NExBTL” all-hydrocarbon renewable diesel fuel.

Researchers at the University of North Dakota (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) on June 6 announced the first production of military-spec jet from via direct liquefaction of coal and biomass.

MTU announced June 9 that it won an order for 16 diesel generator-sets for eight floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels for Petrobras.

Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) prices in major spot and futures markets continued to rise last week, despite mixed signals on distillate demand along with relatively firm stocks.

Distillate prices continued to rise in major spot and futures markets last week.