Freightliner's future plans call for the company to be a full-line Class 2 through Class 8 supplier, said Freightliner President Jim Hebe at his State of the Industry briefing yesterday at Freightliner LLC headquarters in Portland, Ore.

There will be two distinct brands: Freightliner and Sterling. Western Star is another brand, but it probably will be tied to the Sterling distribution as the extreme-service chassis offering.
Plans call for the introduction at the Mid America Trucking Show of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Class 2 through 5 panel van, to be assembled in North America and badged Freightliner. The end of the year will see the launch of the new Business Class, code named M2. An aerodynamic update for Western Star is also scheduled for later this year.
Only a little further down the road will be low cabover Class 3 through 5 and 6/7 trucks sold with Sterling badges. Discussions are well along, but currently on hold while DaimlerChrysler mulls its direction with its Mitsubishi and Hyundai investments. However, Hebe said there are North American versions of the European low COE Atego and the Brazilian LTC ready to go at a moment's notice.
Other product introductions surround a joint platform developed around the next generation Dodge full sized pickup, which will extend up into Class 5 and may even be Freightliner badged. The range covers Class 2 through 5 in all and crosses over both Dodge and Freightliner brands.
Hebe said the Condor refuse-truck chassis is gaining momentum, with production now approaching three per day. He hinted that with the anti-trust ruling that Volvo must get out of the trash-truck business in its merger with Renault/Mack, there are major opportunities to pick up business as companies review their purchase plans.