International Trucks for Oz

International trucks is set to return to the highways and byways of Australia. The decision to announce the reintroduction of the International stable to Australia was signed off by parent company, Navistar, only days ago in the US.

The Navistar HQ decision puts into play plans that locally based Navistar Auspac has been incubating for some time.

The decision to introduce the new line-up was announced publicly today. Navistar Auspac will handle the marketing, distribution and sales of the new trucks throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The ProStar will be the first International truck to be put to work on Australian roads since the phasing out of the International Eagle only a few years ago.

The ProStar models are expected to be available late this year while the futuristic International LoneStar will go on sale later in 2016.

The sleek lines of the LoneStar, with its aggressive 'cow-catcher' front end, will make an appearance in Australia before then, with the company planning to have one on the stand at the Brisbane Truck Show in May.

The decision to relaunch International models follows the bumpy coalition of Navistar and Caterpillar in introducing the line of Cat Trucks over the past five years. As the name suggests, these trucks have been powered by the industry-favoured Cat C15 – a 15-litre engine now nearing the end of its shelf life.

The Cat Trucks CT610 and CT630 were based on International ProStars from Navistar with the unique Cat grills, trim and badging.

A big marketing advantage the ProStar brings is an engine choice of the Cat C15 or Cummins engines. Cummins product will broaden the appeal now that the ISXe5, SCR-tech donk is having a good run.

The Caterpillar/Navistar coalition, NC2, came to an end about a year ago with the formation of the fully Navistar owned subsidiary, Navistar Auspac.

International trucks has had a strong following in Australia for decades, from the bread-and-butter workhorse of the ACCO through to S-lines, Transtars and the International Eagle.

This loyal following extends right back to the days when International Harvester had dealerships in just about every town in the country. Navistar Auspac hopes to harvest some of that latent loyalty.

The new ProStar, for all intents and purposes, is the same truck as the Cat CT630.

The introduction of the ProStar will reap the benefits of Cat Trucks' local experience, the model being an 'Australianised' product developed by the Cat Trucks team headed up by engineer Adrian Wright. An expansion of the product line will span everything from utilitarian short-haul and tipper work to heavy-duty long-haul.

It is understood that the Cat C15 engines will be available along with the choice of the Cummins ISXe5 and the Cummins 13-litre product.

The truck will be imported built up from the US assembly line, and tailored to local buyers' specifications.

The writing has been on the wall for the International launch since the appointment of Navistar Austpac’s boss Tim Quinlan, a 37-year Navistar veteran with a deep involvement in the distribution of International product.

With today's announcement, Mr Quinlan said the decision to reintroduce the International brand was a significant step forward in the company becoming a major player in the Australasian truck market.

"Bringing International back to the Australian market is a key part of our growth goals for Australia and demonstrates our commitment to this important market," he said.

"We're proud to bring the International brand back to the region and look forward to providing customers high-quality trucks and deliver industry-leading up-time and fuel efficiency."

trucksales.com understands that Iveco will continue building and marketing the ACCO product line at the old International plant at Dandenong in the near to medium future.

The launch of the new International models comes to an already saturated Australian truck market and its success will rely on the ability of Australian management to build a solid warranty and service network across the country.