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December 18, 2003
New Zealand, like many small nations, has put off upgrading it's military equipment to the point where a lot of the current gear is of questionable reliability. So 321 Pinzgauer military trucks are being bought for the army, to replace the ageing Land Rover vehicles. The Pinzgauer was developed, in the early 1970s, by the Austrian firm Steyr-Daimler-Puch (which now has an assembly plant in Britain). This new cross country truck design proved very popular with the civilian market, and then with armed forces users. Cheaper and, to their users, more versatile and reliable than trucks from the larger military vehicle manufacturers, there are now over 30,000 Pinzgauers in service in 24 countries. The 4x4 wheel drive models carry up to 2,400 pounds, the 6x6 3,300 pounds. Each can carry twelve troops comfortably (and more than twice as many uncomfortably.) The Pinzgauer has kept up with the competition. When the American Humvee appeared two decades ago, the Pinzgauer design was modified to create a wider, lower vehicle (a feature of the Humvee that proved very successful). The Pinzgauer isn't cheaper than the Humvee, but is considered a better value and, for nations with anti-American leanings, makes them feel better.
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