A local company has secured the rights to market Caterpillar's new range of trucks in New Zealand.
New York-listed Caterpillar - best known for manufacturing heavy equipment, power generators and commercial vehicle engines - announced in 2008 that it would enter a joint venture with Illinois-based truck maker Navistar to manufacture Cat-branded trucks.
Karl Smith, chief executive of Christchurch's Gough Group, which has won the rights to sell the new vehicles in this country, said the Caterpillar trucks had been launched in Australia, the United States and South Africa over the past 16 months.
They were now available in New Zealand for the first time and the company was placing special focus on marketing the vehicles in the "golden triangle" of Auckland, the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Smith said.
"The first available model, the Cat CT630, is a conventional prime mover and is suitable for on-highway tractors and rigid truck and trailer applications. This is at the top end of the scale for New Zealand and we will be looking to add further models in late 2012 and early 2013."
