PORTLAND, Ore. — Unimog North America will showcase the Unimog U500 vocational vehicle across Canada and the U.S. during the Unimog 2U 2004 Tour.

A trio of Unimogs, each pulling a trailer full of implements, will travel to participating Unimog dealer locations to demonstrate the vehicle’s on- and off-highway capabilities.

“This is the biggest promotional campaign for the Unimog to date,” said Bob McTernan, director of Unimog North America – which is part of the Freightliner Commercial Vehicles Group. “We want potential customers to experience the Unimog and its capabilities first-hand. Once people see it in action, we believe they’ll be as excited and impressed by the Unimog as we are.”

The Unimog 2U Tour will have three legs: Winter Tour East, Winter Tour West and the Canadian Tour. The East and West tours kick off on February 9, 2004 and the Canadian tour begins on February 16, 2004. Each leg will tour the region for several months. Participating dealerships will customize their own promotional programs. Open houses, personal appointments and on-the-job demonstrations are just a few of the events that will be held.

The Unimog 2U Tour will demonstrate mostly winter-related applications, utilizing snow plows, snow blowers, salt and sand spreaders, front-mounted brooms, hand-held hydraulic tools, tree cutters and snow chains.

Built as an implement carrier, the Class 6&7 Unimog U500 vehicle easily accommodates a wide range of equipment for a variety of work duty applications. The Unimog’s factory-installed hydraulic system and controls provide seamless implement changeovers. Equipment commonly used with the vehicle includes aerial man lifts, tree trimmers, augers, cranes, snow plows, salt spreaders, street sweepers and specialized brush cutting and firefighting equipment. Additionally, a new automated transmission is now available for the Unimog and will be featured on the tour. The Unimog U500 is available at selected Freightliner Trucks, Sterling, Western Star and American LaFrance dealerships in the U.S. and Canada.

“The Unimog is a great option for highly specialized vocational applications in both winter and summer seasons,” McTernan said. “The Unimog U500 is a proven, highly versatile, high-quality machine that excels in almost any environment and we can’t wait to show everyone what it can do.”

Potential customers interested in attending a Unimog 2U tour stop should call 877-701-3000 or visit unimogtrucks.com for more information.

Winter Tour East:
Tar Heel Sterling, Charlotte, NC 2/9/04 – 2/13/04
Tracey Road Equipment, Syracuse, NY 2/16/04 – 2/20/04
Freightliner Harrisburg/Hagerstown, PA 2/23/04 – 2/27/04
Campbell Freightliner, Edison, NJ 3/01/04 – 3/05/04
L & B Truck Service, Westminster, VT 3/15/04 – 3/19/04
Freightliner of Maine, Bangor, ME 3/22/04 – 3/26/04
Duthler Truck Center, Wyoming, MI 3/29/04 – 4/02/04
Wabash Sterling Truck Sales, Indianapolis, IN 4/05/04 – 4/09/04
Kansas City Freightliner, Kansas City, MO 4/12/04 – 4/16/04
Barloworld Freightliner, Inc., Springdale, AR 4/19/04 – 4/23/04
Atlanta Freightliner, Forest Park, GA 4/26/04 – 4/30/04
Freightliner of Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 5/03/04 – 5/07/04
Virginia Trucks, Richmond, VA 5/10/04 – 5/14/04

Winter Tour West:
Holcomb Freightliner, Sioux City, IA 2/09/04 – 2/13/04
Boyer Trucks, Minneapolis, MN 2/16/04 – 2/20/04
Billings Freightliner, Billings, MT 3/01/04 – 3/05/04
Freedom Trucks, Spokane, WA 3/08/04 – 3/12/04
Portland Freightliner, Portland, OR 3/15/04 – 3/19/04
Valley Freightliner, Pacific, WA 3/22/04 – 3/26/04
Freightliner of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 3/29/04 – 4/02/04
Golden Gate Freightliner, Oakland, CA 4/05/04 – 4/09/04
Los Angeles Freightliner, Los Angeles, CA 4/12/04 – 4/16/04
Cunningham Commercial Vehicles, Phoenix, AZ 4/19/04 – 4/23/04
Albuquerque Freightliner, Albuquerque, NM 4/26/04 – 4/30/04

Canadian Tour:
James Western Star, Kamloops, BC 2/16/04 – 2/27/04
Western Star Trucks (North), Edmonton, AB 3/01/04 – 3/05/04
Freightliner of Red Deer, Red Deer, AB 3/08/04 – 3/12/04
Freightliner of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB 3/15/04 – 3/19/04
Currie Truck Centre, Barrie, ON 3/22/04 – 3/26/04
Freightliner Mid-Ontario, Missisauga, ON 3/29/04 – 4/02/04
Camions Freightliner Montreal, Pointe-Claire, QC 4/05/04 – 4/09/04
Camions Freightliner Quebec, Ste-Foy, QC 4/12/04 – 4/16/04
Freightliner Mid-Ontario, Missisauga, ON 4/19/04 – 4/23/04