The Equestrian Centre at Steyn City proved to be the ideal venue for the recent launch of the Powerstar FT-Series light/medium truck range, significant for showing off the workhorse, functionality and diverse characteristics of the vehicles.
The Powerstar FT-Series is sourced from the Foton Truck plant in China who, in 2012 entered into a joint 50-50 partnership with Daimler AG, hence the influence in the design and characteristics of the range.
These are by no means entry level trucks and will compete favourably with the high level competitive brands in the market. By introducing this range of distribution trucks Everstar Industries have introduced a new facet to their business as an addition to their Powerstar range of construction and on-highway trucks. With the assembly plant well placed in Pietermaritzburg the FT-Series will be assembled there from CKD kits. Specifications for the local range have been well researched and will incorporate the latest component technology from Wabco, Bosch, Cummins, ZF, Continental and Rothwell, all highly suited to the rigours of African conditions and well represented throughout the country.
In order to provide the optimum transport solutions, the range consists of the FT3, FT5, FT8, FT8TT, and FT10 models giving a GVM range from 3.5ton to 10ton capacities. Pride of the range is however the FT MAX built for long distance on-road freight. Built on the normal F10 platform in a 6×2 configuration it boasts a payload of 14ton and allows for a more economical operating cost than a standard 6X4.
All FT-Series trucks are powered by Cummins engines, either the ISF 2.8 or the ISF 3.8 depending on the model and application. The lower capacity models utilise the lower output unit (96 – 110 KW) whilst the models with the higher GVM ratings utilize the larger unit (105 – 125 KW). The ZF six-speed manual transmissions fitted to the units are well matched to the power units, providing excellent response whether in city traffic or highway cruising.
Rodney Selesnick, Senior Head of Sales for Everstar Industries and in particular responsible for the FT-Series range is highly enthusiastic about the model line-up and has assembled a dedicated team to ensure the brand receives the professional back-up these high quality vehicles require.
“We already have a number of key clients that are testimony to the low life cycle costs they are achieving with these vehicles. A major contributing factor is the advanced specifications incorporated in the design and build quality in keeping with the exceptional partnership of Daimler and Foton. With the local backing of Everstar Industries, ease of service and parts availability will contribute greatly to the low life cycle costs”, concluded Rodney Selesnick.