Navistar unveils new International A26 engine

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – International this week took the wraps off its new A26 engine, which it says is lighter weight and 5% more fuel efficient than its N-series predecessor.

The launch was held at the spring meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council. Darren Gosbee, vice-president of powertrain engineering with Navistar, said the new engine was developed using a customer-centric approach with a focus on uptime, fuel economy, weight and noise.

The International A26

He said the new engine is 5% more fuel efficient, thanks to a reduction in parasitic losses and the use of lightweight components. Weighing 2,299 lbs, Gosbee said the 12.4-liter A26 is about 700 lbs lighter than a 15-liter engine.

International is offering, in applications achieving greater than 6.5 mpg, oil change intervals as long as 70,000 miles and diesel particulate filter (DPF) service intervals of 600,000 miles. When paired with the new International LT, Gosbee said the A26 will provide up to 9% better fuel economy compared to a 2017 model year ProStar with N-series engine. The company proved this over fuel economy testing along the Kentucky Hilly route, where the truck averaged better than 8 mpg.

The new engine will enter production in April and is available for order now.

Bill Kozek, president, truck and parts with Navistar, said the company is well positioned with the new engine and a new partnership with Volkswagen Truck & Bus.

“It’s an opportunity for us to partner with a group, a world class organization, to improve our procurement, our operations and our IT systems,” Kozek said of the partnership, which saw Volkswagen take a 16% stake in the company. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to learn a lot from the Volkswagen team and I think the Volkswagen team will learn a lot from us as well.”

Kozek also said Navistar has addressed issues related to engine reliability and downtime. He said dwell time – the amount of time a truck spends at the dealer to be repaired – has been reduced by 50%, with half of trucks needing repairs turned around in one day.

“Our goal is 100% of trucks returned in one day,” he said. “We believe we’ll get there.”

Navistar is also in the process of introducing a new product every four to six months. It already unveiled a new vocational truck, the HX, and highway tractor, the LT, in addition to the new A26 engine.

 

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James Menzies is editorial director of Today's Trucking and TruckNews.com. He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 24 years and holds a CDL. Reach him at james@newcom.ca or follow him on Twitter at @JamesMenzies.


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