His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange officially started production of the new DAF XF on Wednesday April 3.

The new truck was developed to meet the Euro 6 emissions standards that will come into force in the European Union on 1 January 2014. DAF has invested around one billion euros to develop an entirely new Euro 6 vehicle range and to prepare its production facilities in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Compared with the current Euro 5 standard, the new legislation requires that nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions be reduced by a further 77%, while soot particle emissions must be cut by 66%. The new emissions legislation was a main driver for DAF to develop a completely new vehicle series of which the XF is the new flagship.

"We are incredibly honoured that His Royal Highness officially started the production of the new DAF XF," said Harrie Schippers, President of DAF Trucks N.V. "Developing a brand-new generation of market-leading Euro 6 vehicles and preparing our production facilities for this new generation is the largest project in our company's history, representing an investment of around one billion euros. The visit of the Prince of Orange is a wonderful recognition for all of the 8,000 DAF employees involved in the Euro 6 project, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The visit beautifully coincided with the fact that exactly 85 years ago Hub van Doorne laid the foundations for our current company."

Photo caption:
On the right His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange and left DAF Trucks' president Harrie Schippers.