Despite recent announcements in the US, Navistar Auspac strongly defends its continued support of the Cat brand in Australia and New Zealand
Navistar Auspac has re-affirmed its commitment to the Australian and New Zealand markets, dismissing claims recent events concerning Navistar in the US will have any local impact.
“No one should doubt the commitment and confidence that exists within Cat Trucks and its dealers around the country to grow the business,” Navistar Auspac’s director of sales, marketing and business development for Cat Trucks, Glen Sharman, says.
“We are here for the long haul and while recent events here and abroad have caused some competitors and commentators to suggest that the effort and energy behind Cat Trucks is waning, nothing could be further from the truth.”
Caterpillar’s decision to independently design and manufacture its vocational truck range in July spawned speculation surrounding the future of the Cat brand in Australia under the Navistar Auspac masthead, however Sharman was quick to dispute the claims.
“The Cat trucks we offer here are developed specifically for our on-highway markets,” Sharman explained at the time.
“Cat trucks are a valuable and ongoing part of Navistar Auspac’s plans for today and tomorrow and any assumptions or speculation otherwise are completely mistaken.”
The suggestion C15 engines, installed in CT630 vehicles, are being phased out has also been revoked; with news the design of the next generation model is underway in the US.
The company says the CT13 engine will also remain in the CT610 model.
Five years after Cat-branded trucks hit the Australian roads with the CT610 and CT630, the company’s line-up now ranges from shorthaul rigid models to B-double and roadtrain triples.
Top of the list is the newly announced CT630HD launched at the Brisbane Truck Show in May, offering a GCM of up to 130 tonnes.
“It has been a great journey to this point but we are still on the road to achieving the true potential of Cat Trucks,” Sharman says.
“In sales terms, our original expectations of where we would be in five years have not been fulfilled, due largely to the simple facts that Australia and New Zealand are highly competitive markets crowded with brands from around the world. It’s a tough business.”
“It has been a dynamic five years but no one should be in any doubt, the next five years will be even more dynamic.
“The best is still to come.”