News and how-to’s were common during the second day of the NTEA Truck Product Conference September 17 in Dearborn, Michigan.
General Motors, Kenworth, Mitsubishi, and Peterbilt all brought attendees up to date with their products, including new model introductions and tips for installing truck bodies and equipment.
General Motors had two light duty vehicles that attracted a crowd—a first-hand look at the company’s Colorado and Canyon mid-sized pickups and the new City Express, GM’s entry in the rapidly expanding compact van market.
Production of the City Express is scheduled to start September 22, with models expected to begin arriving at dealerships in October. Although compact, the van will provide 122.7 cubic feet of cargo space. It reportedly gets 24 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg on the highway. It has a 36.7-foot turning diameter.
GM’s new mid-sized pickups are being targeted at commercial applications such as pest control companies, auto parts courier services, security firms, and as utility service trucks. They will be offered with pickup box delete, opening up additional body and equipment installations for customers who do not need all the capabilities of a full-size truck.
The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will be offered with a choice of 2.5-liter l-4 or 3.6-liter V-6 gasoline engine. A diesel 2.8-liter four cylinder Duramax turbo diesel is coming next year. Customers can choose from a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. Four-wheel drive will be an option.
Peterbilt
Peterbilt displayed its new 567 vocational truck. It features an aluminum cab, heavy duty radiator, rear front suspension up to 22,000 pounds, rear suspensions up to 78,000 pounds, standard electronic stability control, air disc brakes, and an integrated cab mounting system that helps provide additional working room when installing PTOs.
According to Peterbilt, the truck is designed for construction, logging, tanker heavy haul, bulk haul, and concrete applications
Mitsubishi Fuso
Mitsubishi has added a new model to its Canter lineup—the FE 130. Mitsubishi names its models after their GVW rating. The new FE 130 gets its name from its 13,000 GVWR. It replaces the FE 125 and its 12,500 GVW rating. The FE also has a higher GCW rating than the FE 125.
Beyond that, the company’s trucks are largely carryover models, said Leighton Good, Mitsubishi’s manager of product and applications. One recent advancement, however, is the new engine protection system that warns the driver when dangerous conditions such as low oil pressure or high engine temperatures have been reached. After a series of warnings, the engine shuts down when critical levels are reached.
Kenworth
Kenworth highlighted its K270/K370 chassis that was introduced this summer. The two models, a Class 6 and a Class 7, are otherwise virtually identical. They use the same cabover design that makes them 45 inches shorter than a conventional cab. The result is improved maneuverability and the ability to transport a longer body in areas where overall length is beginning to be restricted.
The trucks are powered by the Paccar PX-7 that includes two new horsepower ratings--200 and 260. The transmission is an Allison 2100-2500HS/RDS transmission (five or six speed) that is regulated by a new push-button shifter.
A complete report on this year’s Truck Product Conference will be in the November issue of Trailer/Body Builders.
