Australia

Scania unveils the Dunk Truck at Bathurst 12-Hour: a unique and locally conceived promotional platform

Scania Australia continues to grow its footprint in the heavy vehicle market, supplying increasing numbers of new trucks as well as growing patronage at its company-owned workshops for scheduled servicing work and parts supplies.

As a $500 million business in Australia, Scania already directly employs more than 500 locals. Keeping up with growing demand for services continuously requires additional technicians as well as various support staff within the branch, and across the business in general.

 

As a way to raise Scania’s profile among young and young-at-heart Australians, the company has funded the creation of an innovative mobile promotional vehicle, the new Scania Dunk Truck.

 

The Dunk Truck is fitted with a Dream Courts basketball ring and bespoke backboard support mechanism, designed in house at Scania Australia. The Dunk Truck will attend a series of events around Australia in 2025, aiming to catch the attention of basketball-obsessed youngsters.

 

“We recognise the intense interest in basketball at grass roots and at professional competition levels and we’re hoping that the presence of the Dunk Truck at events around the country will expose our brand to a potential market of young and ambitious Australians who might like to come to work for us,” says Zsuzsa Zalatnai, Marketing Director for Scania Australia.

 

The concept of the Dunk Truck was fermented within the Pre-Sales and Marketing teams, where several fervent basketball fans and competitors reside, with the engineering design work carried out by Pre-Sales engineer Dean van Lunenburg, under the watchful gaze of Pre-Sales Director William Fisher.

 

“In order to create a stable ring platform, we had to create a bespoke structure that would be able to withstand the pressures of play but also be able to be retracted for travel and transport,” Dean says. “We’re very excited by how the design has turned out. The truck is very usable and lots of fun, and so far, has drawn huge crowds wherever it has been parked up.

 

“We ran a test day at the Scania Head office in Victoria where a surprising number of colleagues emerged from their cubicles to shoot a few hoops. That’s the beauty of the sport - it reaches out to so many people,” Dean says.

 

With the initial engineering work underway, Scania Marketing concluded an arrangement with Dream Courts to provide a transportable 10 x 10 m basketball playing surface to allow the Dunk Truck to deliver an authentic playing experience.

 

The Dunk Truck is based on a Scania P 360 6x2 with a curtainsider body built by Austruck Truck Bodies. Royans Australia printed and fitted the side curtains. 

 

To promote the launch of the Dunk Truck Scania engaged the services of Guy Dupuy, A.K.A @therealfrequentflyer, who put on a teaser dunk showcase for a promotional video, which is available on social media.

 

“The Scania Dunk Truck made its first public appearance at the St Kilda foreshore during December 2024 and was met with a very high degree of enthusiasm by beachgoers. 

 

“The next outing for the Dunk Truck will be at the Bathurst 12-Hour race at the end of January, before heading to Brisbane to be part of the supporting BTS/TAFE Queensland events at The Depot during the Brisbane Truck Show,” Zsuzsa says.

 

Further dates where the Dunk Truck can be seen will be available on the Scania.com.au website and Scania social media.