With its introduction of a suite of new technologies and leaving behind some of the older ideas about trucks, Western Star is changing the narrative about truck development with the introduction of the X Series.
The Western Star X Series truck range first appeared some time ago, but global supply chain issues have meant there has been a considerable period that has elapsed between the initial unveiling of the new range and numbers of the trucks getting out into the trucking industry.
The fact of the matter is that in developing the X Series, Western Star in Australia has completely transformed its entire range, taking it from a traditional truck with a design which was beginning to show its age, to a thoroughly modern truck, but one with a genuine Aussie sensibility, connecting to the preferences and likes of the typical Australian truckie.
It looks the part and the casual observer is left in no doubt that this is a North American style bonneted truck, which references a look and a style which has been a preferred option for people working in the Australian trucking industry for some time.
Under the skin of this new range there is a lot of sophisticated technology and a capacity within the vehicle to keep up with the changing regulations and changing preferences of trucking operators into the future.
As with most things, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’ and the reception the new models have received is an indication of how well the transition across to a more modern design has worked for the Western Star brand.
The fact of the matter is that safety regulations along with changing exhaust gas emission regulations mean that it was important to make the move to the latest version of the Detroit DD 13 and DD 16 engines to remain complaint. This has been coupled with the integration of these new Detroit engines with the latest version of the Detroit DT 12 transmission, which arrives with the X Series in its latest iteration.
At the same time, safety regulations around the trucking industry and the requirements necessary to comply with the requirements of the higher productivity vehicle schemes now developing on our roads mean that it is necessary to have all of the latest software on board to meet the criteria.
“What we’re seeing from the initial launch of X Series is a completely opposite change from the legacy product, with the driveline integration of the DT 12 with the DD engines,” says Kurt Dein, Head of Western Star Trucks for Penske Australia.
“We’re seeing a huge percentage increase growth in our AMT transmission. We are also going back to speak to customers that were sold trucks six or eight years ago, where driveline, ergonomics and so forth come into play for us.
“We’re now opening up new markets and we are making transactions with operations like Toll and some key accounts. We’re breaking into those national fleets, and with X Series we speak about the ambitious plans for market share growth that we have.
“The development and cost involved in the X Series coming to market was to get the runs on the board and get the product back up the ladder. We’re definitely seeing, 18 months after launch, north of 200 trucks on the road today, and over the next 90 days we’ve got a huge volume going onto the road. We’ve certainly got stock and the supply chain is definitely freeing up now.”
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