Battery electric trucks along with city tippers, concrete trucks, and light metro freight movers are the segments where the early inroads are being made by the challenger brands. And now the Sinotruk marque has an alternative to the premium European brands with its Sitrak C9.
The C9 Series is the flagship of Sitrak’s Euro 6 line-up which also includes G7 models with a 540hp 12.4-litre engine, and a range of medium-duty G5 models with 7.4-litre engines offering 330hp and 350hp outputs.
The C9 is a 6x4 tractor unit with the 15.3-litre engine from Weichai Power developing 660hp (485kW) – a number that only Scania and Volvo can better among the Euro brands. And they deploy larger displacement engines to do so.
This would have to be one of the harder truck tests I’ve had to write.
I’m a little confused by this new Sitrak C9. As with the other Chinese brands on New Zealand roads, it can be a struggle deciding what to compare it with.
What is clear, however, is that this new model is a massive step forward from the previous versions I’ve driven.
Climb into the cab and it’s almost like stepping into a European truck. The exterior has a definite MAN influence, and the interior feels very Daimler-inspired, with its digital displays. Under the cab sits an impressive 660hp engine, making the C9 the third most powerful cab-over truck currently available in New Zealand.