Navistar International unveils truck strategy

Navistar International Corp. announced a truck strategy that includes a new heavy-duty truck model, a joint venture to produce its existing severe-service line, and a consolidation of medium-duty production.

In a joint venture with TIC United Corp., Navistar will continue to design, market, and support its Paystar heavy-duty, severe-service truck line, which is targeted at construction, coal, and oil field applications. TIC is a privately held company involved in the manufacture of steel casting and forgings, fabricated metal products, and agricultural and transportation equipment.

The severe-service line, currently produced at the company's Chatham, Ont., facility, will be shifted to the joint venture facility in Garland, Tex. That will free the Canadian facility to focus on the International 9000 Series of heavy-duty conventional trucks,

It also paves the way for the introduction of the International 9100 series truck, which is aimed at local and regional applications. The new truck will offer an "interior environment designed to improve comfort and performance for the driver," says Don DeFosset, president of Navistar's truck group.

The company also has announced the production phaseout of the International 8200, allowing the company to concentrate medium-duty trucks in Springfield, Ohio. Orders will be accepted through January 1997, and production will continue through the middle of the year.