Quoted from appended article:
[Think of it as a pick-up truck on steroids. International Truck and Engine introduced this year the second in the XT line of vehicles in what represents a new target market — the guy next door. Well, maybe with a nine-foot-tall cab, weighing just two pounds short of requiring a Commercial Drivers License to operate and a 70-gallon fuel tank, you won't see the CXT next door unless ...]
.... unless your next door neighbor has the world's smallest pecker.
Scott
--- begin quoted ----
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/content/shared/oh/stories/0716cxt.html
International takes new truck to extremes
By Tim Bucey, Staff Writer
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Think of it as a pick-up truck on steroids. International Truck and
Engine introduced this year the second in the XT line of vehicles in
what represents a new target market — the guy next door.
Well, maybe with a nine-foot-tall cab, weighing just two pounds short
of requiring a Commercial Drivers License to operate and a 70-gallon
fuel tank, you won't see the CXT next door unless Ashton Kutcher is
your neighbor. Demi Moore bought him one.
It's likely the neighbor may come down the street in the slightly less
obese RXT or MXT. The CXT and RXT have a connection to the local
International plant. The MXT may when production begins.
Stampings for the International CXT and the RXT are done in
Springfield. Complete CXT cab assemblies are performed here as are
partial assemblies for the RXT, which was introduced this spring.
The CXT — or Commercial Extreme Truck, which was introduced in 2004 —
is built in Garland, Texas; the RXT — Recreational Extreme Truck — in
Escobedo, Mexico.
They're billed as the world's largest pick-ups.
Those who have driven the vehicle love the reaction they get.
David Coleman, truck sales manager at Miami Valley International in
Dayton, has had the monster truck on the road a number of times.
"You kind of get a reaction when they think it's a truck, then they see
a pick-up bed on it. They give you a double take. Their heads kind of
jerk," he said.
He's seen people get out their cell phone cameras when the truck has pulled up. "It's an eye-grabber," he said.
The local International Truck and Engine plant has a red CXT that it uses at community events, such as parades.
"You pull up to a stop sign and some of the guys in what otherwise
would be pretty good sized trucks are staring up at you with blank
looks on their faces. It's certainly a head turner," said Kyle Rose,
Springfield operations communication manager.
Roy Wiley, corporate spokesperson in the Warrenville, Ill., office,
said development of the CXT wasn't necessarily based on a market demand
for a pickup truck that dwarfs a hummer.
"We created the market for it. A couple engineers got to talking and
asked 'what if we had a truck like this built off an existing platform
that would appeal to certain people?'" he said.
For practical use, it's marketed toward landscaping, brick and stone
contractors, roofers, home improvement and construction companies, or,
as Wiley said, people who have all the toys in the world. One option:
the bed lifts like a dump truck.
Along with Kutcher, NBA star Jalen Rose has one. Tonight Show host Jay
Leno wrote an article for Popular Mechanics after taking the behemoth
on a test drive. He said from the cab a Hummer looks like a
mini-Cooper. It wouldn't fit in his driveway.
An RXT was awarded the owner of Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner.
Cost keeps the vehicle from being a common site on the road ... or the
neighborhood. The CXT's manufacturer's suggested retail price ranges
from $93,000 to $115,000. Those who can afford it don't ask about gas
mileage (diesel), which is 8 to 10 miles per gallon.
MSRP on the RXT starts at $76,000.
Coleman has two CXTs at Miami Valley International that are for sale
but in the meantime are used for promotional purposes. The truck was
part of the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day parade.
There were no initial plans to follow the CXT with the RXT, but the relative popularity of the CXT made it viable, Wiley said.
"Based upon the popularity (of the CXT), our people got together and
said 'let's see if we can make something with broader appeal to a wider
range of people. The RXT is smaller, it's more practical," he said.
The CXT was not built with expectations of it being a high-demand
product. For one, not many people have a garage where it would fit. It
weighs 25,999 pounds. If it weighed two more pounds, the owner would
need a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
"We have sold more than 200 to date and we continue to sell them
through our dealer network. We expect our new RXT and MXT to be the
higher volume sellers. The CXT was a bold, over-the-top vehicle for
businesses that want to promote themselves as well as their business —
and the CXT does that very, very well," said Bill Sixsmith, director of
marketing for International's Severe Service Division which houses the
CXT model.
Miami Valley International will be getting some RXTs and has sold one
to a Preble County horseman who will use it to pull his trailer.
Springfield could have built the RXT because it's the same platform
used to build mediums, but company officials said the local plant
wasn't considered because of costs associated with truck production
locally.
"Had our costs been in line, it would have been a nice fit for this plant from a product standpoint," said Rose.
UAW 402 President Charlie Hayden said he had no comment on the company's decision to build the truck in Mexico.
"The beauty of all these trucks is they are built off existing
platforms. There is not a real capital investment like there was for
the NGT launch in Springfield for the ProStar launch for the heavy
product," Wiley said.
From the companie's website:
http://www.internationaldelivers.com/site_layout/XTFamily/index.asp
The International® CXT™
It doesn't just command attention; it demands it. Crowds gather and
camera's flash. Children look up in awe at the 9-foot high cab. With
your logo plastered across the cab, the International® CXT™ becomes a
self-promoting billboard everywhere you park it. Using vehicles to
advertise your brand is nothing new, but towering over everything else
on the street is. When your message demands to be shouted, it needs to
be on a CXT™.
The marketing implications are just the beginning. Equipped with the
legendary MaxxForce™ DT engine, the largest production pickup truck
currently on the market is backed by six tons of hauling power. Its
core stems from International® 7000 Series trucks, designed for the
most demanding of applications such as construction dumps, refuse
trucks and snowplows. And with the CXT™ featuring air-ride cab and
individual bucket seats in a spacious interior, driving one becomes a
remarkably smooth experience. Add-on luxury options like leather, DVD
and satellite radio to complete this premiere performance vehicle.
GVW Range: 25,999 lbs
Payload Capacity: 5.5 tons
Towing Capacity: 20 tons
Drivetrain: Up to 300 horsepower
Exterior Features: 4x4 Crew Cab; 8-foot pickup bed; bright-finish
heated mirrors; keyless entry; fog lights; air horn; polished chrome
bumpers with front aero effects
Interior features: Prestige interior package includes DVD player,
navigation system, rear camera, plush leather seats, tinted windows,
super premium sound system and carpeting
Find out about International's environmental-friendly engine technology at: http://www.greendieseltechnology.com
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