Caterpillar is using ConExpo-Con/Agg 2026 in Las Vegas to formally launch several additions and upgrades to its equipment range, with a new compact radius excavator, two next-generation motor grader models and its second electric drive medium dozer all on show.
The Cat 319 is a new 19–20-ton compact radius excavator slotting between the established 315 and 325 models – a size class Caterpillar has not previously occupied. The machine made its global debut at Bauma 2025 and is making its first North American show appearance at ConExpo.
Built on the Next Generation platform and centred on a wider 2.8 m (9.2 ft) undercarriage, the 319 is designed to address lifting and stability demands that customers said the 315 could not meet, while offering a more compact and cost-effective alternative to the growing 325.
Brian Stellbrink, senior market professional at Caterpillar, said the wider undercarriage was central to the machine’s appeal. “That width is all about extra stability,” he said. “It provides the 319 with the capability to handle TRS17 – the rotation work tool attachment that aids precision and helps improve jobsite efficiency – as well as a variable angle boom or blade, yet remains comfortably within the maximum transport width of 3.0 m.”
That wider stance also delivers up to a 7% boost in lifting capacity compared to the 317, along with the option to run a 1 m³ general duty bucket.
The 319 carries the cumulative benefit of eight years of development on the Next Generation platform. “Its performance, stability and productivity are a powerful combination for construction, utility work, road maintenance and land clearing jobs,” said Stellbrink, “while bringing all the benefits and attractions of the Next Generation platform to the compact radius line-up.”
Safety technologies include an optional 360-degree camera, Cat Detect people-detection and multiple track-shoe options. Key specs: operating weight 19,700 kg (Europe) / 20,000 kg (North America); max digging depth 6,550 mm (21.5 ft); max reach at ground line 9,190 mm (30.2 ft).
150 and 160 motor graders join the next-gen platform
Also announced at the show are the Cat 150 and 160 motor graders, the latest models to move to the Next Generation platform that Caterpillar began rolling out with the 120 and 140 earlier in the cycle. The 150 is available with joystick or lever controls; the 160 comes with joystick as standard.
Eric Kohout, senior product consultant for motor graders at Caterpillar, said the new models maintain the dimensions of the machines they replace while bringing meaningful gains in power, efficiency and operator experience. “The Next Generation platform is all about efficiency, productivity and operator comfort,” he said. “These new models achieve those objectives in many ways.”
Both models feature a nine-speed transmission with a new finish gear for precise final-pass grading, a fully redesigned cab with larger windows — first seen on the upgraded 120 and 140 — and a 10-inch touchscreen integrating optional technologies including Cat Grade, 360-degree cameras and People Detection. The 150 carries a C9.3 engine producing 195 kW (261 hp) with a standard 12-foot moldboard; the 160 produces 206 kW (276 hp) with a 14-foot moldboard. Both are upgradeable by two feet respectively. Operating weights are 19,688 kg (150 joystick) and 19,853 kg (160).
Kohout said joystick controls were a significant ergonomic step forward. “Reducing operator fatigue is key to maintaining and improving productivity, so transferring control into two, three-axis joysticks completely redefines operator comfort.” The Cat 150 joystick variant is scheduled to launch in European markets in the second half of 2026, with full global availability for all configurations to follow.
D8 XE: Caterpillar’s second electric drive medium dozer
Rounding out the major hardware news is the D8 XE, Caterpillar’s second high-drive electric drive medium dozer, following the D6 XE which launched in 2018. Sam Meeker, market professional for medium track-type tractors (D4–D8) at Caterpillar, set out the machine’s value in familiar three-legged terms: lower fuel consumption, more productivity and reduced maintenance cost — the same proposition that has underpinned the XE line since the D7E first introduced electric drive to the dozer market in 2009.
The drivetrain pairs a C15 engine with a fully sealed, liquid-cooled generator feeding a single motor via an inverter, with two separate cooling circuits — one for the engine coolant and one for the power electronics. Fuel savings are most pronounced in medium-load applications. “In the 60 to 80% load range, that’s where we pick up a lot of efficiency,” Meeker said, citing a composite saving of around 6% across the full application spread, with greater gains in lighter-duty cycles.
Meeker was keen to stress the serviceability overlap with the standard D8. “Fuel filters, fluids — all the other type of maintenance components are going to be very similar to a D8,” he said. “So you don’t have to stock two separate sets of filters and fluids.”
New features include application profiles that automatically reconfigure blade and transmission settings by working mode, 360 Vision with person-detect and motion inhibit, a new heavy-duty track with integrated wear monitoring, and an optional single-shank ripper with two-button Auto Rip technology.
