Daimler Trucks US subsidiary Western Star has launched a new truck to its vocational line-up, with the launch of the new Western Star 47X, which the company says will sit alongside and complements the Western Star 49X, establishing what Western Star is calling its X-Series.
The company says the X-Series will extend the platform’s reach into entirely new vocational applications and indications are that they will be here late next year.
Local Western Star distributor, Penske Australia told Truck & Bus News that as the official distributor of Western Star Trucks across Australia and New Zealand, it is ‘working closely with DTNA on the adaptation of the new X-Series to local on- and off-highway markets’.
“It’s very exciting to see the 47X unveiled today in the United States following on from the launch of the 49X last year,” said Craig Lee, Penske Australia’s general manager for on-highway, .
“We are thrilled to be launching the new Western Star range in late 2022 in Australia, and shortly after that in New Zealand,” Lee said.
“Our local teams here in Australia and New Zealand have worked closely with the Western Star team in the US on the development of the new trucks to tailor them for our local markets in both Australia and New Zealand and will continue to do so.
“Boasting lighter yet tougher cabin frames and steel-reinforced cabins, and with features including wrap-around dashboards, our customers will surely be impressed when they see the trucks in person and step foot into the cabin.
“We will continue to work with our dealer network to ensure the highest level of support is delivered to our existing and our new customers,” Lee said.
The 47X features a standard 111.6″ BBC measurement and Western Star says this makes it well suited to regions or applications that require a shorter overall vehicle length, such as rigid tray tops crane trucks ( or drywall trucks as our American friends call them).
Western Star says it will offer an optional 110.8″ BBC version with a shorter hood and a wheel cut up to 50 degrees, to optimise maneuverability particularly for mixers and dump trucks on construction sites or in urban environments.
“With the 47X and the 49X, we can offer our vocational customers different options that will give them the right tool for their specific job needs,” said David Carson, Daimler Trucks North America’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
“The vocational segment is a broad segment, covering many different applications, and our Western Star X-Series reflects that reality. Whether their work be heavy-haul, logging and timber operations, or construction, we have the right Star for our customers,” said Carson
Western Star says DTNA engineers have ‘evolved the brand’s legacy of durability and reliability with the X-Series to consider the needs of today’s customers and have completely reimagined the modern vocational truck’.
“A key priority was to consider how to reduce mass without compromising strength,” said Tracy Mack-Askew, DTNA’s chief engineer of chassis, propulsion and vocational engineering.
“From the cab to the frame rails, to powertrain and battery configurations, we examined all features to deliver weight savings to our customers for greater productivity and profitability,” she said.
Western Star says the 47X is approximately 90kgs. (200 lbs.) lighter than the 49X in like-for-like spec and is best suited for weight-sensitive applications such as mixers and bulk haul.
The 47X’s unique hood offers industry-leading forward visibility of 7550mm (24.8 feet) – a 28cm (11-inch) improvement over the 49X – while the company says its composite construction and ISO Tech suspension system resists bending and cracking by absorbing and dissipating vibrations from road inputs.
The 47X is fitted standard with the Detroit DD13 Gen 5 engine, with higher compression ratios and a new swirl piston design to further improve combustion and efficiency. ThermoCoasting in the DD13 Gen 5 prevents aftertreatment cool-down during a driving regen to keep the system at its optimum temperature and significantly reduce the need for parked regens.
Cummins L9 and X12 engines are available for weight-sensitive applications on the 47X. Naturally the 47X is beig offered with Daimler’s new DT12-V transmission, based on the DT12.
“With the addition of the 47X to the X-Series line-up, Western Star is offering fresh, modern trucks with purposeful technologies to enable all vocational customer’s success. The wide breadth of segment coverage means that there’s a Star for every need,” Carson concluded.
US customers can order the new 47X now with the first deliveries expected in early 2022, while as Penske told us, the trucks should be here by late next year.
