Kenworth offers FreedomLine and more in Louisville

Kenworth made a number of announcements this morning, a day before the official opening of the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Under the hood, Kenworth announced today that it plans to offer the ZF Meritor LLC FreedomLine transmission, a fully automated mechanical heavy-duty truck transmission without a clutch pedal. It will initially launch the FreedomLine transmission in its T2000 aerodynamic conventional model with plans to eventually roll out the transmission to its entire heavy-duty product line.

The company also announced the Dana Spicer Premium-40 tandem drive axle will become standard on all new Kenworth Class 8 vehicles. The new 40,000-pound Premium-40 axle, known as the DSP40, will be available beginning May 1, 2001, on new Kenworth truck orders. The new axle was developed for Kenworth by Dana Corporation’s Commercial Vehicle Systems, and is exclusively available only on PACCAR vehicles until July 1, 2003.

The Washington State manufacturer also introduced a new interior package for its T2000 60-inch Aerodyne model. It features additional storage space, a 42-inch liftable bunk, and an interior style and colors consistent with the Kenworth T2000 5-inch Aerodyne model.

In an attempt to help truck buyers overcome rising operating costs and depressed used truck values, Kenworth and PACCAR Financial Corp. also announced an Equity Accelerator option, which allows buyers to lock in today’s favorable interest rates and still take advantage of any future decline in the Prime Rate.

“Equity Accelerator is a variable rate loan with the rate capped and payments calculated at 7.99%,” said Tony McQuary, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and service. “If the Prime Rate falls at any time over the loan’s life, the customer’s rate also goes down. If rates go up, the rate will never go higher than the initial 7.99%.

Kenworth Equity Accelerator is available only on purchase of an eligible new 1999, 2000 or 2001 Class 8 vehicle in Kenworth dealer stock inventory now through May 1, 2001, and financed with PACCAR Financial.

Mid-America is also providing Kenworth a chance to show off the truck of tomorrow, exhibiting a new T2000 High-Tech Truck. The truck with 75-inch Aerodyne sleeper features some key high-tech systems. Perhaps the most interesting new addition is the AES
Fleetcom 2000 Communication System. AES uses GPS satellite tracking and wireless cellular communications to allow fleets to remotely track the vehicle and its operating conditions over the data link.

Another new feature is the Xantrex 2,000-watt power inverter, which provides clean, 110-volt AC power to run the microwave, satellite dish, or other consumer electronics. Other key technology items include the Bendix XVision forward-looking night vision system extends the driver’s vision beyond the area illuminated by the headlamps. The Kenworth side-camera vision system displays a wide-angle view of the righthand side of the vehicle by using a miniature video camera mounted to the roof and displaying the image on a video monitor mounted below the header.

-Truckinginfo.com