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The Bulldog is back on the road again with the 2008 Mack Performance Tour, featuring the biggest and boldest trucks ever from Mack Trucks, Inc. The new Mack models also feature the very fuel efficient, yet extremely powerful Mack MP family of engines.

The Mack Performance Tour comes at an opportune time for truck operators considering which engine can take them into 2010 and beyond.

“As the number of North American engine choices narrows, we think customers need to take a long, close look at what Mack can do for them,” said Tom Kelly, Mack vice president, marketing. “The Tour is an outstanding way for them to experience the quality, power, performance and fuel economy of the Mack MP engine family, so they can see what they’ve been missing. We are making a special effort to reach out to these customers.”

“We want them to know Mack has the products, customer support and dealer network they need and expect from us,” Kelly continued. “Most importantly, Mack has a proven and very fuel efficient engine technology that works now and for the future. We have a great engine platform and we know our plan to meet the 2010 emissions standards works.”

Of course, every Mack engine comes wrapped in a Mack truck. The new, top-of-the-line Rawhide™ Editions of both the Pinnacle™ highway and Granite® vocational models clearly demonstrate why customers continue to turn to Mack. The Rawhide Edition brings a distinctive look and feel to the driver environment and sleeper, with a full array of gauges, extra soundproofing, brushed nickel dash, wood-grain and chrome steering wheel and classic button-tuck interior. The Pinnacle Rawhide Edition combines classic styling with all the technology benefits of the Pinnacle and Granite models, and adds the next generation of luxury and comfort.

All trucks feature the Mack MP7 and MP8 engines, which deliver higher power density with a smaller displacement for greater efficiency – a critical feature at a time when diesel is near or at $5 a gallon.

For long-haul highway customers looking to save even more on fuel, Mack offers Pinnacle tractors certified by the U.S. EPA SmartWay program. The Certified SmartWay® designation means these tractors meet EPA's environmental and fuel efficiency standards for excellence. The SmartWay program requires trucks to have a detailed set of components shown to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Since the Tour kicked off in Texas in April, Mack has sent its trucks fanning out across North America. Each Mack is loaded to legal capacity to give customers a real feel for the power of the MP engines. Customers can track the tour with a full schedule and video highlights from other drivers at www.mackperformancetour.com In 2007, the tour covered more than 200 cities in the United States and Canada.