ERF DOWN UNDER SELLING THE "POMMIE LORRY"
Page 44
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espite being dubbed "The Pommie Lorry" by truck journalists, the ERF-built Commander is very much an Aussie product, right down to its North American driveline. However, Jonassen is only too aware of the fight he faces in winning business from Paccar, whose Kenworth cabover dominates the "B-Double" market (see page 43).
"You need a cabover to sell trucks in this country or in New Zealand. It's just amazing what E RF has done with this truck. The new axle position allows us to have 34 pallets— even with a fridge trailer," he 714 says. The bad news is Paccar isn't about to give up without a fight and its latest K1o4 was on display at the recent Brisbane Show (CM1-7 July).
Good year
Last year Paccar had a good year in Oz, taking the number one spot in the over-r5-tonne market with 6,480 units, thanks largely to the growth of the B-Double market and the
wide acceptance of its K-Series cabover. However, Jonassen is happy with the Commander's progress to date.
"We're at the back-end of a large order and of zoo shipped in total we've three or four left," he says. "We're also processing 16 new orders from New Zealand and Australia. "They're hungry for the North American drivcline and we've got that?
However, while the Commander has scored with its European ride and handling, Jonassen accepts it's "under pressure" due to its bunkspace and lockers (see page 42). The high level of Sterling has also hurt when it comes to selling at a competitive price.