Navistar International is moving fast to add products from the December acquisition of Continental Manufacturing Co. to its vehicle line, introducing integrated mixer trucks while planning expanded outlets for the bodies themselves and giving the company a new name

- Continental Mixers LLC. Products will continue to be sold under the Continental and CBMW names.

At the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas, Navistar executives also announced improvements to their International vocational trucks, reiterated previous statements that their new 14.9-liter MaxxForce 15 diesel would be released next October, and reported high market shares for orders of vocational and other truck types in recent months.

The integrated mixers will comprise Continental drums installed on International WorkStar and PayStar chassis, ready for delivery to customers. The completed vehicles will be ready to work, will include product advancements and will save customers about three months versus ordering a mixer truck separately, even if they would probably cost about the same, said Jim Hebe, senior vice president for North American sales operations. They will join integrated dump trucks already offered in the vehicle lineup.

WorkStar's Diamond Logic multiplexed wiring system will be tied into the electronic controls on Continental bodies, allowing several automatic functions that will prevent damage and possibly injuries to operators, said Steve Guillaume, a Navistar executive who now acts as Continental's general manager. Systems will warn drivers of unstowed equipment, and automatically lower the mixer's loading funnel and turn off of work lights when vehicle speed reaches 10 mph. PayStar trucks don't have the multiplexed wiring, but the automatic functions could be added through other electronic means, Hebe said.

To expand sales of Continental's mixer bodies, Navistar plans to add 30 dealers to five existing outlets, Guillaume said. These will be International truck dealers in the U.S. and Canada who are active in construction-truck sales and familiar with customer needs. They will provide service and parts for Continental products, as well as for the truck chassis they're on. Meanwhile, Navistar is happy with Continental's executive team, Hebe said, and will retain them and the company's headquarters in Houston.

Executives also listed changes and improvements to International vocational truck series. For the WorkStar, these include:

* Heavy duty 7600 and 7700 models are combined into one model with two variations, 7600SBA (46-inch set-back axle) and 7600 SFA (30-inch set-forward axle). Both models will feature a new 113-inch bumper to the back-of-cab length that includes higher-capacity cooling modules.
* A crew cab configuration is now available in WorkStars with front axle ratings up to 18,000 pounds.
* All-wheel drive capability is now available with front-driving axles of up to 18,000 pounds capacity on models with mid-range diesels.
* Steerable 20,000-pound lift axles are now available direct from the factory.
* Corrosion-resistant, lightweight aluminum fuel tanks are now standard.
* The HVAC system has been redesigned to improve in-cab comfort and system reliability.

For International PayStar models:

* Electronic stability control is now optional.
* 8,000-, 13,200- and 20,000-pound lift axles are now available direct from the factory.
* New 10.25- by 3/8-inch frame rails are now standard on the PayStar 5900 SBA. The 10.25-inch frame rail provides customers with a strong vocational frame in applications where vehicle weight is important.
* MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13 diesel engines will be used in PayStars in the months ahead, while the MaxxForce 15 will be available in October of this year.

Only Navistar's own MaxxForce diesels with Advanced exhaust-gas recirculation will be installed in International trucks, as the formerly optional Cummins engines are no longer available. A-EGR needs no urea-injection exhaust-aftertreatment equipment, which saves considerable bulk and makes an International truck about 400 pounds lighter than competitors with engines with selective catalytic reduction, Hebe noted.