International Truck and Engine Corp. announced today, Jan. 11 that ProStar is the official name of its new 2007 Class 8 tractor. Developed with input from dealers, the product name was chosen to reflect both the customer and International, according to the company. ProStar is the first of multiple International product introductions planned for the next several years that will follow this new strategy.
International says the “Pro” prefix represents the professional driver for whom this product has been developed, and underscores the engineering that went into responding to the key market demands currently facing these professionals, such as driver retention, fuel economy, uptime and out-of-motion costs. The “Star” suffix aligns with the parent company, Navistar.
“We’ve made a $300 million investment in the innovation of this new product,” says Dee Kapur, president of Warrenville, Ill.-based International Truck Group. “A new product is the perfect opportunity for us to introduce a new name. It reflects our understanding of our customer needs and evokes the heritage, pride and Americana that is our brand.”
International will unveil ProStar at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., scheduled for March 23-25, and shipments to dealers will begin in the first quarter of 2007. Initial production will be based on 122-inch BBC (bumper-to-back-of-cab) tractors with a high-rise sleeper configuration; the second phase of production will include additional BBCs and sleeper configuration options. The truck will be produced at International’s assembly plant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada.
For more information, go to www.internationaldelivers.com.
