BIG TOY. Big pickup may be more for play. (Photo courtesy of International Truck and Engine Corp.)

International Truck and Engine Corp. created quite a stir when it unleashed a huge, 6-ton pickup truck to the public earlier this month.

"When you sit in this, you actually look down into a Hummer," says Jim Corbin, sales associate for Chicago International Trucks, a Chicago-based dealer.

The Warrenville, Ill.-based manufacturer officially rolled out the behemoth Sept. 13 at its plant in Garland, Texas. With plans to sell 100 units this year and 300 next year, company executives hope to attract "businesses that want to promote themselves as much as perform," says Rob Swim, director of vehicle marketing strategy for International, a subsidiary of Navistar International Corp.

Called CXT, the $90,000 base model weighs in at 14,500 lb with a gross rating of 25,999 lb. It comes with a 220-hp International diesel engine with 540 ft-lb of torque and fuel economy of 7 to 10 mpg. It sports an 8-ft dualie bed, four-wheel drive, five-speed Allison automatic transmission and a four-door crew cab that seats five. Models with custom leather, rear-view camera, dump body and DVD player top out at $115,000.

Excitement over the pumped-up work truck has dealers taking dozens of calls from mostly contractors but also other business owners and even celebrities. Swim says the firm so far has sold 40 units. Says Corbin, "It’s everything that someone with an ego has to have."