International will introduce its own heavy-duty, big-bore Class 8 diesel truck engine, to become available in 2007.
The engine will be offered in displacements from 11 to 13 liters and will feature four valves per cylinder; direct injection; a high-pressure, common-rail fuel injection system; and a single overhead camshaft. The engine block will be of compacted graphite iron, a material used in no other truck diesel available in North America, said International’s Jack Allen, president of the Engine Group. It offers high strength for the weight, and the block design minimizes noise, vibration and harshness.
The base engine will be produced by M.A.N., the German diesel manufacturer that co- financed the original diesel developmental work of Rudolf Diesel in 1893. The design will be based on a European engine that was introduced about a year ago, but International will do substantial developmental work to modify the design to make it suitable for the U.S. market.
The emissions system and combustion optimization work will be done by International, and the engine will be assembled in the United States.
The emissions system will be similar to those of most other U.S. manufacturers, using cooled EGR. International chose the engine partly because it was designed with future European emissions standards in mind.
The company said it would be premature to estimate power and torque ratings, but the engine reportedly develops more than 500 hp in Europe.
