Daimler to develop medium-duty engine, introduces new safety systems

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) will be bringing a medium-duty Detroit engine to the market.

The new DD5 and DD8 are currently under development and being configured for North American operating conditions. They’ll be built upon the Mercedes medium-duty engine line in Europe.

Daimler announced the new offering at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition.

“Detroit medium-duty engines will provide what no other manufacturer in North America can offer – a total vehicle solution that matches Daimler’s global engineering prowess with the most complete product lineup bar-none in the industry,” said Martin Daum, president and CEO of DTNA. “The DD5 and DD8 will feature attributes that are synonymous with Detroit including exceptional fuel efficiency, lowest total cost of ownership, power, performance and reliability.”

The new engines will be available beginning in 2016. They’ll initially be produced in Mannheim, Germany, with production shifted to North America by 2018.

Daimler also announced it has developed its own integrated safety mitigation systems, including adaptive cruise control and active braking assist. The company felt it could develop a system that’s better integrated with its vehicles than any such system currently available on the market.

Daum projected another good year for truck sales in 2015, estimating total 2015 NAFTA Classes 6-8 truck sales will total 411,000 units, a 10% increase from this year, which should come in at 374,000 units. Daum hinted Daimler could be adding truck building capacity in North America in the near future.

The largest projected growth is in the Class 8 segment, which should be 29% stronger in 2015 compared to 2013. Medium-duty truck demand is projected to climb 5% over the same timeframe.

DTNA’s share of the Class 8 market stands at 37.1% in the US and 32.3% in Canada. Its Classes 6/7 share is 42% in the US and 23.7% in Canada.

As always at ATA, Daum presented a list of goals for the coming year. For 2015 they include: unrivalled integration; world class research and development; a service evolution; quick market success for the Western Star 577XE; and the growth of its market share.

Daum indicated Daimler will boost its R&D spend in North America to about $550 million, divided equally between vehicle and powertrain development

 

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James Menzies is editor of Today's Trucking. He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 20 years and holds a CDL. Reach him at james@newcom.ca or follow him on Twitter at @JamesMenzies.


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