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AM General selected to build postal delivery vehicle prototypes

AM General, South Bend, Ind., a manufacturer of vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide, has announced that its designs for advanced postal vehicles have been selected by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as part of the USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) Prototype Awards, in support of the service's plans and need for the replacement of its aging fleet. AM General will build a series of prototype vehicles for testing by the USPS that seek to provide fuel efficiency and zero emissions.

With growth in online shopping and e-commerce, the number of packages delivered by the USPS has grown dramatically from 3.7 billion pieces in 2013 to 4.5 billion in 2015. The AM General postal vehicle is designed to grow with these new demands to help the USPS manage the changing mail mix with improvements in safety, efficiency, reliability, and flexibility.

Features include lightweight, fuel-efficient design; advanced powertrain with system options; substantial emissions reduction with a zero-emissions option; next-generation safety systems for letter carriers; reduced maintenance schedule; and 20+ year body durability.

Design and development for the postal vehicle will be conducted at the company’s Center for Advanced Automotive Design in Livonia, Mich.

Several prototypes will be designed, built, and tested over an 18-month period. Production requirements and future vehicle replacement awards will be determined by the USPS after NGDV prototype testing.