Truc ks as M ovie Stars
Western Star and
Freightliner trucks star
in latest Transformers movie
Already a well-known and powerful sight
on the roads of South Africa, when a
Western Star and Freightliner from the
Daimler Trucks stable of brands make their
presence felt in Hollywood blockbuster style,
they set the screen alight.
P
aramount Pictures “Transformers: Age of
Extinction” movie, which is recognised
for high-paced action sequences that
put a spectacular array of trucks and cars in the
limelight. The fourth movie in the Transformers
series is given an extra boost when the role of
the vehicular lead character, Optimus Prime,
morphs into a blinged-out Western Star.
The Western Star shares the screen with a
Freightliner truck – but movie fans will need
to watch the film to learn more about its
character.
“Rugged and tough, commercial vehicle
customers in South Africa choose purpose-built
Western Star trucks when they need a highly
specialised solution for heavy-duty applications
both on and off-highway,” says marketing and
sales divisional manager at Daimler Trucks
South Africa, Godfrey Hani. The Western Star
takes on the most demanding applications, just
as Optimus Prime takes on epic battles in the
name of justice across the universe. “Merging
the two heroes in this movie thus makes perfect
sense,” Hani adds. Developed specifically for
the new Michael Bay film by Daimler Trucks
North America (DTNA), many styling cues for
the Optimus Prime character were leveraged
from a new Western Star on-highway vehicle
that will be unveiled in the USA later in 2014.
“When the producers of the film approached
us to create the new Optimus Prime, we knew
we already had the perfect truck in the works
and that it would be an ideal partnership to
showcase our dedication to engineering, design
and building the most rugged and reliable
trucks in the industry,” says Andy Johnson,
brand manager for Western Star at Daimler
Trucks North America.
➲ Heavy Metal Movie Stars
“Being a part of the Michael Bay
Transformers film franchise is a unique
opportunity where vehicles are stars,
and we’re thrilled that Western Star is a
major part of this iconic franchise.”
Similarly, the Freightliner truck that
debuts in “Transformers: Age of
Extinction” has been a stalwart of the
Daimler Trucks commercial vehicle
stable globally. In South Africa, these
vehicles attract fanatical freight
business owners due to the products
flexibility to serve a wide range of
industries and commercial applications.
It is widely touted as the vehicle of
choice for long-haul trucking.
Transformers: Age of Extinction” is the fourth film in director Michael Bay’s
global blockbuster franchise, starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Bing Bing
Li, Kelsey Grammer, Sophia Myles, T. J. Miller, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor and
Titus Welliver. The film begins after an epic battle that left a great city torn,
but with the world saved. As humanity picks up the pieces, a shadowy group
reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history, while an ancient,
powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from a new cast
of humans, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and the Autobots rise to
meet their most fearsome challenge yet. In an incredible adventure, they are
swept up in a war of good and evil, ultimately leading to a climactic battle
across the world.
| logistics in action
82
august 2014