Western Star to distribute Foton Trucks in Australia and announces the first model to be sent down under
March 22, 2010
Western Star Trucks Australia has added what it hopes to be its latest star to the range after signing on as the Australian distributor of Foton Trucks.
Manufactured in China by the state-owned but publicly trade Beiqi Foton Motor, the first truck to arrive will be a 4.5-tonne GVM light rigid called the Aumark.
Western Star Australia Managing Director Paul Glavac says the new brand is already a force in its domestic market, with Foton Motor Company the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in China and the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world.
It built more than 600,000 vehicles in 2009 and has factories and engineering and design offices around the world.
Glavac says Foton has a proven track record in innovation and quality and its vehicles will meet the day-to-day requirements of operators and the stringent vehicle emission standards.
While the initial sales and service needs will be met by existing Western star dealers, Glavac says the size of the market and the support needs of the light commercial truck customer base will lead to new Foton dealership opportunities in the future.
Foton General Manager Mark Gobessi says the Aumark is only the first in what is planned to be a long line of models from the Chinese manufacturer.
“This exciting new model is targeted at business owners who have outgrown a one tonne utility or van truck and are looking for something with a little more capability,” Gobessi says.
The Aumark comes standard with a high quality 4,500 mm long x 1995 mm wide steel tray with drop sides and can be driven on a car license.
It is fitted with the Cummins ISF 2.8L engine and ZF 5 speed transmission for reliability, performance and fuel economy.
Electric windows, cruise control, air conditioning and a radio/CD player are also included.
“This is the ideal replacement vehicle for overworked traditional one-tonne utes. For not much more than the cost of their current vehicle, operators can purchase a real truck and almost double their payload capacity,” Gobessi says.