IF you were asked what the World’s most powerful series production road going truck was, you’d probably answer Scania with its 770 hp V8, however you would be wrong if you answered that way.
The world’s most powerful truck doesn’t come from Europe or the USA, but from China, yes you read that correcvtly.
The new holder of the title is China’s Shacman X6000 with its 800hp of power and 3750 Nm of torque, 50Nm more than it Swedish rival.
The Chinese truck manufacturer enters has just launched in Europe and is set to takle the on highway market where Swedish manufacturers, Scania and Volvo have dominated for some time with the likes of Mercedes and DAF not far behind.
Volvo’s 750hp 16 litre was introduced in 2011 and ruled as king of the road for nine years before being dethroned by the Scania 770hp in September 2020.
The Shacman was introduced to the Chinese and Russian market, although there are high expectations that it will be produced in Argentina. The manufacturer is reportedly building a factory in the province of La Rioja later this year to cater for the Latin America market.
The new truck’s cabin apparently looks not unlike the Mercedes Actros. while underneath the cab is a 16.6 litre Weichai WP17H800E68 Euro 6 engine that allegedly delivers 800 HP and 3.750 Nm torque.
Weichai apparently manufactures engines, axles and gearboxes for trucks, agricultural machinery, marine and industrial use. The Weichai W17 engine is believed to be derived from a series of engines it markets for agricultural needs and is a 16.6 Litre V8 modified for use in road needs.
The Shacman 800 is mated to an automatic 16-speed S16AD gearbox, developed by Fast Gear, and has a 6×4 configuration.
Inside the cabin, the truck boasts a flat floor, a multifunctional steering wheel, two large screens (one for instrumentation and one for multimedia), adaptive cruise control, collision warning systems, lane departure system and even automatic control of tyre pressure.
Whether the Chinese band can achieve any cut through in Europe only time will tell. Whether the brand makes an appearance in any more than a trickle of numbers in Australia is also up for speculation.
