Daimler Beefs Up Western Star Brand
For a number of years, we have been hearing rumors that Daimler will likely put the Western Star truck brand out to pasture, primarily due to the brand’s low market share in the class 8 truck segment. However, this does not appear to be the case.
During the past two years, Western Star has upgraded or is planning to upgrade their entire truck lineup based upon their current platforms.
Western Star typically focuses on the on-highway vocational side of the heavy truck segment along with other niche applications. DTNA has recently placed an emphasis on the on-highway vocational segment with both the Freightliner and Western Star brands.
The vocational truck segment represents approximately 25% of the class 8 truck market. This is somewhat low volume when compared to the class 8 freight segment, but the vocational trucks are highly profitable for the OEMs. Also having more diversification within the heavy truck market somewhat shields the OEMs from the volatility of the freight only segment.