Ford drops oval in US
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Steve Sturgess • The blue oval is gone from the front of America's Ford heavy-duty trucks acquired by Freightliner in the summer. In its place is a new name: Sterling.
The ex-Ford models under the new nameplate are the HN80-derived Louisville and AeroMax products and the medium cabover Cargo (using the first-generation Cargo cab).
They will now be sold as Sterlings and distributed through existing Ford truck dealers who choose to be part of the new Sterling network.
Sterling Truck Corporation's HQ is at Willoughby, Ohio.
The announcement sets the seal on the incorporation of ex-Ford models into Mercedes-Benz-owned Freightliner, while maintaining them as competi tors. Production of the Louisville and AeroMax shifts from Kentucky to Freightliner's plant in Ontario, Canada, while the Cargo goes to Mount Holley in North Carolina.
The Cargo will undergo substantial re-engineering as it will be built on the highly successful Freightliner Business Class medium-duty chassis.
The Sterling badge has been designed and engineered to fit into the same space as the Ford oval it replaces; this will save the time and cost needed to reengineer the Sterlings' bonnets and grilles.
The name itself has a heavy-duty heritage going back to 1916—a truck builder called Sterling, which began as Sternberg in 1907, lasted until 1951 when it was absorbed by White Motor Co.
Ford sales are currently running at round 20,000 units annually, but Freightliner is very bullish on the potential of the new Sterling heavies.