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International launches a truck with 22.5 inch wheels that actually don't look too big for it.
International Harvester built the Scout sport utility vehicle from 1961 until October 1980, when it became victim of the near financial collapse of IH. Now, after a lengthy hiatus and a few corporate makeovers, International Truck and Engine Corporation is back in the SUT market with one serious brute called the 7300 CXT (Commercial Extreme Truck), said to be the largest pickup in the world.
One popular design theme found in pickups and SUVs in recent years is to give them styling cues from the big rig trucks. International goes just a step farther, why not simply give the consumer the big rig itself recast as a pickup? And that's essentially what they've done. At 258 inches in overall length, the CXT is 31 in. longer than the Ford Excursion, some 50 in. longer than Hummer 2.
In fact, with a GVWR of 25,999 Ib. the CXT just remains in the Class 6 truck category. That means it is not necessary to secure a commercial driver's license to operate one. Class 7 includes trucks with a GVWR over 26,000 lb., and those do require the pro license.
International's primary target for the CXT is commercial business operators from lawn care to masons to carpenters and every trade in between. It is claimed to be the world's largest production pickup and it does have a 12,000 lb. payload, three times that of a normal pickup. It has optional clumping and tilt bed capability so it is a serious commercial-grade truck.
But International fully expects to find interest from the consumer market as well. It may only amount to dozens or hundreds...