BTS Recap: DAF’s milestone moment
The Brisbane Truck Show 2025 may prove to be a seminal moment in DAF’s local history as it unveiled its XG model that includes a new 15L engine.
When first laying eyes on the behemoth space that belonged to PACCAR Australia at the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show, my first thought was that it would be quite easy to miss some special truck models. However, my fears of not casting my eyes over the most eye-catching trucks were quickly allayed when I caught sight of the new DAF XG on the PACCAR stand.
The Australian made DAF XG 15L 660hp wasn’t a brand new unveiling done in Brisbane – it’s been around since late last year when PACCAR first introduced the XG range to local drivers. Since October, the XG range has built on the success of the New Generation DAF line-up in Europe.
While it may not have been a fresh release for the PACCAR team, the gleaming beauty of the DAF XG range proved to be a milestone moment for PACCAR Australia managing director Damian Smethurst.
“It’s very exciting to have the model here after previewing the truck at the last Brisbane Truck Show two years ago,” he told OwnerDriver on the opening morning of the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show.
“Now it’s here in the flesh and has been completely designed, engineered, manufactured and validated in Australia for the local market.
“We’re super proud of the work our local team has done in partnering with DAF in the Netherlands to develop this product – it’s not a truck cobbled together; instead, it’s been designed to suit our applications with some creature comforts included. It’s amazing.”
The model is exclusively produced at the Kenworth DAF Bayswater plant in Victoria and is designed to meet high-productivity combination requirements. Both the XG and XG+ come packed with some punch, namely 3,200Nm of torque, 97t GCM and a 660hp, 15L engine. A 1,150L fuel tank allows drivers to comfortably run Melbourne to Brisbane at B-double weights without needing a stop at the servo.
Since the European drivetrain was first brought to Australia, the PACCAR Australia team has redeveloped the model to meet the rigours and realities involved in Australia’s daily freight task. With every detail optimised for efficiency, durability, driveability and easy manoeuvring, the end result is the XG.
“There’s a few stand-out features in this model – because we designed it in Australia for local conditions, we have a product that isn’t compromised due to being designed for European applications,” PACCAR Australia chief engineer Brad May told OwnerDriver.
“We started with the engine, which is the first 15L DAF engine that’s ever been designed for this market and is the only place in the world where this has been done.
“What does that do? It gives us more power than we’ve ever had access to before and gives us more torque, meaning we can run it at low engine speeds and maximise fuel efficiency.
“The cornerstone of this model is fuel efficiency – it’s extremely efficient and has been validated in many different fleets and applications across Australia, so it’s a proven product.”
The sneak peek into future technologies proved to be a seminal moment for DAF as the wider PACCAR company prepares to welcome a new era in Australia.
“We’re really excited about DAF as a brand in Australia – we’ve had limited success for a long period of time, so this product and the full range that we bring to market in the next couple of years is the start of our future in the country,” Smethurst said.
“We’ll be building a lot more at our local manufacturing facility in Bayswater and we’re excited about what the DAF brand can bring for us in the next few years.”
Article reproduced courtesy of Owner Driver Magazine (July 2025).