Western Star on the charge

When Western Star rolled out the long-time-coming X-Series in 2022, it was immediately plagued by supply chain setbacks – from steel to wiring looms, and of course shipping – leading to somewhat of a false start for the otherwise impressive model lineup.

Fast-forward to 2024 and supply is strong, with a healthy order bank to boot, and Western Star is gearing up for its biggest quarterly sales result for around four years.

“We launched the product in November ’22, and to date we’ve got in excess of 500 trucks on the ground,” Head of Western Star Trucks at Penske Australia, Kurt Dein said.

“I'd say we have more than 250 registered X-Series trucks on the road today, but the next quarter will be the biggest three months we’ve delivered products in for the last four years.

“By the end of the year, it’ll be in excess of 400 trucks delivered.”

However, Penske Australia thinks this is only the beginning for the X-Series’ growth trajectory, now that supply is sorted and dealers have demonstrator stock to put in front of customers.

“Product is really starting to come through and dealers have got demo trucks in the country,” Mr Dein said.

“You go to any Western Star dealer in Australia and you’re going to see stock on the lot – we haven’t had that for 18 months.

“Getting stock on the lot and demoing the product – it’s definitely been a long wait to get to where we are today.”

As for the sales mix so far, the 48X – a model that is exclusive to Australia – makes up three-quarters of all orders and much of that popularity comes down to its versatility.

“We’re 75 per cent 48X and, of those, the majority are a 36-inch bunk, 16-litre engine, in a 34-pallet B-double configuration for on-highway use,” Mr Dein said.

“There’s the versatility of the 48X too, being a set-forward front axle, so it’s suited to truck-and-dogs that are 19 metres too.

“Its multiple sleeper options are also letting it play in that heavy haulage application.”

A lack of supply across the past two years has left Western Star playing catch-up with its X-Series, however Mr Dein says the order books are looking healthy as customers return to the brand.

“We had very minimal prime mover products coming in across 2021/22, with the blackout of Constellation and the startup of X-Series,” Mr Dein said.

“While we’ve always played exceptionally well in that 15-litre conventional b-double market, we haven’t been able to play there the last couple of years, which has hit our market share.

“But there’s been a whole lot of customers placing X-Series orders to get back into that segment that we played so well in before.”

The ambition for X-Series next year, Penske Australia Executive General Manager – On Highway, Craig Lee says, is to hit 600 sales, which he thinks is possible.

“I’d like to be at 750 Western Star sales next year,” he said. “But I think 600 is doable.”

For those who bleed red, Mr Lee also confirmed a Cummins X15 is on the cards, but he doesn’t anticipate it outselling the Detroit Diesel powertrains offered across the X-Series range.

“I absolutely want a red engine in it, but it’s an engineering project,” Mr Lee said.

“But I wasn’t going to wait for it to launch the truck, because it’ll only be around 20 per cent of volume.”

While unable to provide a definitive timeline for the Cummins X15, Mr Dein says it’s a priority. He points out, though, that getting the truck to market with a 16-litre integrated Detroit driveline was a higher priority.

“It’s not that we’re reluctant to bring it out by any stretch, but in getting the product to market through COVID-19 through the US release of X-Series, and we were the last to release globally in 2022, we couldn’t be all things to all people,” Mr Dein said.

“But we’ll get the Cummins, absolutely. We’ve got a great partnership with both Cummins and Detroit.”

The smaller 47X is already available with either a Cummins L9 and Allison automatic combo, or the standard Detroit Diesel DD13 Gen 5 engine coupled to the DT12 or Eaton Fuller manual.

The L9 is suited to lighter applications in the 47X, with power ranging from 330 to 380hp and torque from 1000 to 1250lb-ft, making it a strong contender for agitator setups. The DD13 Gen 5 ranges from 450 to 525hp and 1550 to 1850lb-ft, better suited to truck-and-dog or even B-double applications, with a GCM of up to 72.5 tonnes available.

The X Series range is somewhat unique here, with the smallest 47X, exclusive Australia-only 48X, and 49X big banger forming a strong lineup to cover all bases.

Western Star’s 47X features a short, sloped bonnet and set-back axle, offering fantastic visibility and payload flexibility, with the choice of Detroit or Cummins power under the bonnet.

The range grew recently, too, with the addition of a 47X 8x4 – the first of which trucksales test drove, so keep an eye out for the review.

“We have recently added to our X-Series line-up, offering the 47X as an 8x4 configuration in Australia, expanding our focus on new segment growth,” Mr Dein said.

“The 47X gives great capability in applications up to 72.5 tonnes GCM and in high horsepower 8x4 applications where Western Star hasn’t had a solution for a very long time.”

Stepping up in the range, the 48X is powered by the 450-525hp Detroit DD13 Gen 5 or 500-600hp DD16 engine, featuring a set-forward front axle and a bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 113 inches making it immensely versatile.

“It’s a unique product for this market, and that really shows the demand for a model that suits so many applications,” Mr Dein said.

The big daddy of the range, the 49X, is powered by the 500-640hp DD16 and has GCM capability of 200-plus-tonnes, and is available with a massive 72-inch Stratosphere sleeper aimed at heavy-haulage and serious outback work.

Keep an eye out on trucksales.com.au for a drive review of the 47X 8x4, with 525hp DD13 and DT12, coming soon.