Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) said Friday, June 13, that it will offer the 14.8-liter Cummins ISX diesel engine throughout its Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star product lines beginning with the 2010 emissions regulations. Freightliner also will offer a 2007-compliant ISX in the Freightliner Cascadia, beginning in January 2009.
“This action was a result of many months of carefully considered planning and consulting with our key customers to determine engine needs and preferences,” said Chris Patterson, president and chief executive officer of Portland, Ore.-based DTNA. “We are convinced that expanded engine options will offer the best suite of solutions on the market, bar none.”
The announcement comes one day after Caterpillar said that it would not offer a 2010-compliant on-highway engine. Currently, DTNA offers the Cat C15 and C13 in addition to Daimler’s own Detroit Diesel DD15 and Series 60 and Mercedes-Benz MBE4000 engines. Caterpillar will continue to build current-technology engines for the North American market through 2009, and DTNA confirmed Friday that it will continue to offer those engines. In fact, DTNA plans to expand its C15 offerings in more product niches over the next several months, says DTNA spokeswoman Maria McCullough.
Although DTNA currently doesn’t offer the Cummins ISX in its commercial truck offerings except in the export market, Cummins is DTNA’s exclusive external supplier of medium-duty engines. The Cummins ISM, ISC and ISL engines are available in Freightliner and Sterling medium-duty products. For Class 8 commercial vehicles, the only Cummins engine available is the ISL for Sterling. The ISL also is available for Class 8 recreational vehicles, as is the ISM.
The Cummins ISX will be an alternative to the 14.8-liter Detroit Diesel DD15, which was launched in October. The first in what eventually will be Daimler’s global heavy-duty diesel engine platform, the DD15 features turbo compounding and amplified common-rail fuel injection. In the coming months, Detroit Diesel will roll out the 12.8-liter DD13 and the 15.6-liter DD16, which will replace current Detroit Diesel and Mercedes-Benz offerings.
