Mack sharpens its “Vision”

WINNSBORO, S.C. (Feb. 11) — Mack Trucks introduced its long-awaited premium highway tractor yesterday, one the company hopes will boost its share of the line-haul truck market.

Called the CX-603 Series “Vision,” the sleek, aerodynamic tractor is a striking departure for Mack, which likes to promote a rugged image. The vehicle is described by Mack Trucks president Michel Gigou as intended for “super-regional” applications rather than cross-continent linehaul.

“This is decidedly a brand new, high-capacity companion for our primarily-daycab CH Series,” Gigou said, “and is in no way a replacement for that popular model or just a minor advancement. The Vision is designed for longer-range activity, and its enhanced driver comfort and operating efficiency are the result of a two-and-a-half-year development process.”

The roll-out was held at Mack’s assembly facility in Winnsboro, S.C., where the new tractor will be produced.

With a typical weight quoted at about 13,810 pounds in the tandem-drive-axle version, the Vision will be powered exclusively by Mack’s proprietary E-Tech family of electronically controlled engines. The standard 112-inch BBC spec reflects a 12,000-pound Eaton front axle (a set-back design) and 40,000-pound rears, and 9-speed Eaton/Fuller transmission. Careful attention to interior design has yielded six inches more of front-to-back space for driver comfort without any increase in the overall BBC dimension. A proprietary-designed driver’s seat will swivel 180 degrees to face a desktop for doing paperwork.

The headlamps are also a proprietary design that can be replaced without any tools at all.

“Mack currently has a 12.8% market share in the class-8 United States marketplace, and we intend to get to 15% in the near future,” said Paul Vikner, Mack executive vice-president of sales and marketing. “We feel the Vision Series will make the difference in getting us there.”

About 150 Vision units have been produced to date at Winnsboro, and full production rates will be achieved by this August, the company said. Mack expects to sell at least 2500 units across North America by the end of 1999.