Sterling Truck Corp. has announced plans to unveil an addition to its product lineup at NTEA’s Work Truck Show in Atlanta, March 1-3, 2006. It’s a low cabover in class 3, 4 and 5 configurations, which will make the company North America’s only truck OEM to offer a full line of class 3 to 8 commercial vehicles.

The as-yet-unnamed vehicle will be rolled out starting next spring at select Sterling dealerships across North America. It’s based on a recently introduced Mitsubishi Fuso platform, the first commercial vehicle resulting from DaimlerChrysler’s new optimization program called “Global
Excellence”. That strategy seeks to take advantage of the company’s massive breadth to keep truck and component development costs down.

Sterling is part of DaimlerChrysler’s Freightliner LLC, while Mitsubishi Fuso is the German firm’s 85%-owned Japanese truck unit.

Details are few at this point but the vehicle will feature a low operating cost, the company says, plus “outstanding maneuverability,” competitive
price points, and the necessary configurations for all popular body options like dry van, reefer, and stake applications. Its modern and
comfortable cab has “the easiest entry and egress in the industry,” Sterlng says.

The truck will be available with a 4.9-liter diesel engine, six-speed
automatic transmission, and up to five wheelbases to accommodate 12- to 20-ft bodies. It comes standard with air conditioning and is available in five different colors.

“We’ve also made the entire purchasing process easy for our busy customers,” says John Merrifield, senior vice president of distribution for the Freightliner group. “The trucks can be purchased directly off dealership lots.”