International names new Canadian-built truck

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — International Truck and Engine has released more details on their new, much-hyped owner-operator truck to be built at the truckmaker’s Chatham, Ont. plant.

The company announced that the official name of its new 2007 Class 8 tractor is “ProStar.” Developed with input from dealers, the product name was chosen to reflect both the customer and International Truck and Engine.

The prefix, ‘Pro’ represents the professional driver for whom this product has been developed, and underscores the engineering that went into responding to the key market demands, such as driver retention, fuel economy, uptime and out-of-motion costs. The suffix “Star” aligns with parent company, Navistar, International says.

“We’ve made a $300M investment in the innovation of this new product,” said Dee Kapur, president of the International Truck Group. “A new product is the perfect opportunity for us to introduce a new name. It reflects our understanding of our customer needs and evokes the heritage, pride and Americana that is our brand.”

ProStar — which will be unveiled to the public at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. in March — is the first of multiple International product introductions planned for the next several years that will follow this new strategy, the company says. Shipments to dealers will begin in the first quarter of 2007.

Initial production will be based on 122-in BBC tractors with a high-rise sleeper configuration. The second phase of production will include additional BBCs and sleeper configuration options.