Scania’s exterior appeal

The need to improve aerodynamics has had the greatest influence on the new R- and S-series’ exterior, and as a result the truck’s fuel consumption has improved accordingly. The front, the sides and even the underside have been optimised to create as little drag as possible.

“Early on in the project, we determined that we were more agile in our expression than our competitors,” says Kristofer Hansén, head of Scania’s styling and industrial design division.

“It’s not just a truck, but rather a whole transport service. We shouldn’t be some big, strong lump but rather a pedigree race horse,” he added.

Scania’s reputation for providing trucks with a powerful and reliable engine therefore had to be at the core of their new vehicle, but the exterior needed to lead the way with its styling and efficiency.

Important features also had to be incorporated in to the design, features which were previously applied separately, such as the sun visor or extra wheel trim. Position lights and extra lights were integrated within the bodywork as well, so as not to negatively impact the aerodynamics of the new truck.

Cleaner exterior styling was also carried in to the interior design, with the dashboard layout and ergonomics based on a desire to avoid inefficiency for the user and clumsiness.

“Here we have tried to express a sense of ‘Agile Strength’ and ‘Flexible Power’,” Hansén continued. “Seen from above, the instrument panel has a wing profile which clearly delineates the driver side from the passenger side. The panel the controls sit on is divided up into two segments, an upper and a lower part with an elegant horizontal step in the middle. This makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. You can also support your fingers on it and it makes selection easier and clearer than if we had used a large flat surface with the controls placed wherever.”