New leadership for ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board of Directors

Brussels, 12 January 2018 – Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, has been elected to chair the Commercial Vehicle Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) for 2018.
ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board elects a new Chairman for a yearly term. Mr Drees takes over the role from Preston Feight, President of DAF Trucks.
After this election, Drees stated: “Our priorities for the year ahead include further reducing CO2 emissions from road transport and continuing our commitment to safety improvements – as well as harnessing the potential of connected and automated driving to contribute to both these goals.”
2018 will be a landmark year for Europe’s commercial vehicle industry, with important pieces of legislation in the pipeline. These include a proposal for the introduction of standards for CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles and the revision of the General Safety Regulation.
Another focus area for ACEA this year will be to continue its pioneering work in the field of truck platooning – the linking of two or more trucks in convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driving support systems – with a view to making platoons with trucks of different brands a reality in the near future.
Notes for editors
- An infographic outlining the EU roadmap for truck platooning can be found here www.acea.be/publications/article/infographic-eu-roadmap-for-truck-platooning.
About Joachim Drees
Joachim Drees was born on November 20, 1964 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He studied business administration at the University of Stuttgart and did his MBA at Portland State University.
Following his degree, he worked at various management consultant firms and the privatisation agency in Berlin. Drees held managerial positions in the Daimler Truck Group and at Mercedes-Benz Trucks from 1996 onward, including as Commercial Director of the Gaggenau Transmissions Unit and as Head of Commercial Vehicle Controlling.
Mr Drees has been CEO of MAN SE and of MAN Truck & Bus AG since 2015. He is also a member of the Management of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH.
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is the Brussels-based trade association of the 14 major car, van, truck and bus producers in Europe.
- The ACEA commercial vehicle members are DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ford Trucks, Iveco Group, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total