International Truck and Engine Corp. announced this week that it is preparing a new highway tractor to replace certain existing models, adding the new aerodynamic conventional will emphasize driver comfort and safety, fuel efficiency and long service life.

The new model, whose name will be revealed along with other details at the Louisville truck show next March, will enter production in early 2007 at International’s plant at Chatham, Ont., executives said during a call-in press conference on Wednesday.
It will be a premium vehicle aimed at owner-operators and small to medium-size fleets. It will replace the existing 9400i aerodynamic conventional and a variant will later replace the shorter 9200i aero.
The traditionally styled 9900i will continue in International’s lineup.
The new tractor will have a new chassis with multiplex wiring and complete provisions for ‘07 diesels. Initially they will be big-bore models from Caterpillar and Cummins. Later in ‘07, International’s 11- to 13-liter diesels – built from a design by MAN of Germany – will be offered, probably at lower prices than for the vendor engines. Eight prototypes are now undergoing testing by fleet customers, International executives said. All have ‘07-model Cummins engines and burn ultra-low-sulfur fuel; Cat-powered tractors will go into testing soon.
The new model’s cab and sleeper will be made of galvanized high-strength steel for safety and long life, but a new vehicle will weigh less than a comparable 9400 with an aluminum cab, executives said. Available sleepers will be 51 and 71 inches long, and will have several roof heights to suit individual operations. Effective insulation will allow the interior to retain heated or cooled air, and there’ll be provisions for equipping a tractor for overnighting without running its main engine.
Some outsiders suspect the new tractor is based on the current 8600, and a test vehicle spotted in the Midwest indeed looks like an elongated version of the existing regional tractor, complete with a steeply sloped hood and the chrome grille now seen on 8000, 7000 and 4000 series. But executives said the upcoming model will share only a few body panels with the 8600.
A dealer committee provided ideas and guidance during the design phase, and helped present the new model to enthusiastic colleagues at their annual meeting in Arizona last month, company executives said. Company designers also did extensive research, including measuring the body dimensions of hundreds of typical truck drivers, to make sure that the new vehicle’s seats, instruments and controls would be ergonomically correct. The vehicle’s driver comfort and convenience features will be unsurpassed, executives declared.