Navistar to Compete in Light-Duty Truck Market

[DriVer]

Greg Gerber RVD@aily Report

WARRENVILLE, Ill. -- Navistar Inc. wants to compete against Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Dodge in the light-medium weight classes of 4 and 5, Transport Topics reported.

Navistar Senior Vice President James Hebe said during the Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual meeting in Tampa last week that Navistar would make an announcement about the Classes 4 and 5 markets during the Work Truck Show in St. Louis, March 10-12.

According to Transport Topics, the light-commercial market is dominated by Ford, which sold 50.5 percent of the U.S. Class 4s last year and 44.1 percent of Class 5s GM announced earlier it will shut down its medium-duty commercial truck business, but will continue making vehicles in the light commercial sectors. Navistar tried to buy GM’s commercial truck business, but the deal fell through in August 2008, the magazine reported.

To read the complete story in Transport Topics, click here.

[moisheh]

I wish them luck! We have 3- Class 4 and 5's in our fleet. None are NA built. In many cities the most popular are either Hino ( Toyota) or Isuzu. Mitsubishi has also made some inroads. Previously we had all GMC's. Our first CO was a GMC/Isuzu. We bought it in 89 and sold it 18 years later. Our NA built units were junk after 10 years. The Japanese trucks are just so superior to anything built here. Perhaps the new competition will lower some of the pricing!!! GM has not produced any Class 5's for a while and Dodge really does not sell many of these units. Most Class 5's are either city P&D or inter city trucks with van bodies. Some are landscaping and specialized service vehicles. If Navistar uses a powerful engine they could capture a lot of the ambulance and emergency vehicle trade.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moisheh If Navistar uses a powerful engine they could capture a lot of the ambulance and emergency vehicle trade.

In speaking with our friend Jestme13, he worked for Philadelphia and he said that if Navistar (IH) wants a bid they can get it because not many can compete with their pricing schedules. Let's hope that if a Navistar brand pickup truck hits the market that it will give the other guys a reason to get their game in gear and provide better products. Competition is a good thing!

Now hope against hope, would they want to "buy" the rights to make a BIG block gasoline engine? Only the Shadow knows!

I know that there are some blue prints languishing in a museum someplace.

[moisheh]

Driver:

Class 4 and 5 are not PU trucks. But they sure could make one from the same platform. PU trucks are one of the biggest profit makers for the BIg 3 ( actually no longer BIG!) Do you remember when IHC made PU's I sure do. They were tough but quite crude. Rode like a tank. Spartan interiors. But the new Navistars are sure sexy so anything is possible. BUT :If they want to enter the market for laymen Navistar will have to change their attitude when it comes to customer service. The common man is not going to put up with the same nonsense as Workhorse owners. Presently I would be afraid to buy any Navistar product for fear of no support from the mfr.

[dbear]

Details are a little on the light side, but here's Navistar's newest offering:
International Truck and Engine Corporation

[moisheh]

I saw an ad for that upcoming truck online. Navistar is taking an interesting approach. Why bother competing with Hino or Isuzu. It appears that this new truck will fill the gap left by GM exiting the Class 4 aand 5 market. One sexy truck!! The cab and chassis will fit into their emergency vehicle business as well as smaller dump trucks. Very smart marketing!!

[dbear]

It would be nice to know about tranny options, GVWR, GCWR, and if there will be a 4x4 version. Guess I just gotta wait...

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbear It would be nice to know about tranny options, GVWR, GCWR, and if there will be a 4x4 version. Guess I just gotta wait...

WOW! Back in the day when I was swinging wrenches IH had a Model 1600 and that truck was in the Class 4/5 range. We had a number in the fleet used as medium dump trucks. It had a gas 340 CID V-8 and a 4 speed.

This truck looks great!

A 300HP 660lb/ft MF7 with an Allison 1000 Series auto tranny works for me. A PTO bolts right up to the Allison so I expect that it should work well. When this vehicle comes to market as a 5th wheel hauler from the custom manufacturers or if it gets used as a "not so" super gigantic Class C model, I can see a lot of folks going for this rig big time a-la Toby Keith!

[dbear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer WOW! Back in the day when I was swinging wrenches IH had a Model 1600 and that truck was in the Class 4/5 range. We had a number in the fleet used as medium dump trucks. It had a gas 340 CID V-8 and a 4 speed.

I had more than my share in one of those too when I did landscaping years ago. At 60mph, the darn thing would shake like an out-of-balance washing machine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer This truck looks great! A 300HP 660lb/ft MF7 with an Allison 1000 Series auto tranny works for me. A PTO bolts right up to the Allison so I expect that it should work well. When this vehicle comes to market as a 5th wheel hauler from the custom manufacturers or if it gets used as a "not so" super gigantic Class C model, I can see a lot of folks going for this rig big time a-la Toby Keith!

Wonder what price point they're looking at. Seems to me, they'd need it to come in, depending upon bed selection and installation, near what a F450 goes for ($44.7k to $62.6k). Ideally, I'd like to see it in the middle of that range which would put the chassis cab low to mid 30s(?), and more in line with the F450 chassis cab.

Any idea if they'll offer at least some rear air bags in the suspension, if not an actual air ride?

[bstark]

Just my opinion but they are pitching to two different audiences with two completely different set of requirements that are worlds apart.

On the one hand you have the Ford 4500/5500 heavy duty pick up with a box in place that is currently exempt from commercial status in Canada and on the other you have the Dodge 4500/5500 available as cab chassis only and is not exempt (at least in Ontario Canada) from the CVOR required for over 4600KG GVWR trucks.

These two are in a class suitable for RV hauling on the Fords behalf with the Dodge being sightly less so with having to configure a bed for any duty at all. If they're pitching solely to the commercial crowd, then an International will not be any better and in most cases far worse in the comfort, amenities, torque, cab height, ride quality and inside cab noise level than the current available p/u's.

TROC (the rest of Canada) and the U.S. need not be concerned with that CVOR thing that Ontario is stupidly maintaining, but a truck designed primarily for commercial stuff will not compete favourably with a plush interior'd Ford or Dodge if it's simply built like it's predecessors with rubber floor mat and vinyl/cloth seats with no woodgrain trimming and those other drawbacks I've mentioned.

[RustyJC]

Or are they competing with Freightliner's (and others') Class 4 and 5 offerings? That's a substantially higher price point than Ford/Dodge 450/4500 and 550/5500s, right?

Rusty

[dbear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyJC Or are they competing with Freightliner's (and others') Class 4 and 5 offerings? That's a substantially higher price point than Ford/Dodge 450/4500 and 550/5500s, right? Rusty

Well, they already had a class 5, the 4100, to compete with the M2, so I'd guess they had designs on taking a slice of the 450/4500/550/5500 market. However, if true, I am surprized they don't offer a factory pickup version.

Although I suppose it's no different that the late GM Kodiaks.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbear However, if true, I am surprised they don't offer a factory pickup version..

There's a Mahindra pickup truck line and a dealership not to far away from where we are in South Carolina. These vehicles are the closest thing you're going to get to an International pickup truck.

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