The next few months will be a busy period for
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Leyland Vehicles. As well as the assembly hall, a new parts building will be opened at Chorley and a new operator support system will be launched at the Scottish Motor Show in Kelvin Hall next month.
The first T45 vehicles will all be in 32/38-tonne tractive unit form and although Leyland anticipates some falling-off in Marathon sales once the T45 launch date is known, it will be company policy to continue Marathon production in parallel with its successor until market demand indicates otherwise.
The March 1980 launch date is for the UK only. Leyland would like it to be simultaneously available in lhd form for the rest of Europe but the length of time involved in the homologation process precludes this. Thus there is no possibility for a European T45 during 1980 at least.
Leyland is clearly aware that the new vehicles will be "make or break" for the commercial vehicle division and it is consequently taking no risks by, for example, launching the machine before the company is 100 per cent ready.
Or, as Frank Andrew put it, "Announcing vehicles when the distributors have stocks is a new move for Leyland!"