The past few years have not been kind to Navistar, the parent company to International Trucks. Revenues fell, warranty claims increased, the EGR strategy failed, historic factories closed, CEO’s came and went. It’s enough to make some wonder if a buy out or bankruptcy is the near future. With those thoughts in mind Forbes has compiled a look at the struggles facing Navistar in 2014 as it strives for a return to profitable balance sheets. To say the challenges are great may be an understatement. The article points (click here) out that since 2011 International has seen its market share decrease in nearly every category with the greatest drop coming in Class 8 trucks. Gaining those customers back will be a challenge that International hopes to meet with the news that the ProStar (with Cummins ISX15) and TerraStar have both been named the American Truck Dealers trucks of the year for the respective classes. The ProStar bested the Kenworth T880 and Peterbilt 579 while the TerraStar surpassed the Hino 195-DC, Kenworth K370, and Peterbilt 220.
International ProStar – Click to Enlarge
In the effort of full disclosure I own an International Truck so please excuse any bias you might find in this post. No matter what brand claims your loyalty I think we can all agree that another American truck manufacturer falling into foreign hands are simply ceasing to exist would be a sad day for us all.
Image/Press Release: Navistar Sweeps 2014 ATD Truck Of The Year Honors