Trucking industry journalists and dealers were given the first taste of a working version of Navistar’s MaxxForce 15-litre engine, the first fruit from the truck maker’s partnership with Caterpillar.

The engine will provide Navistar truck buyers with more power than is currently available with the MaxxForce 13 engine. It will be offered with a 435 to 550 hp range. The engine will have a 15.2 litre displacement, a twin turbocharger with intercooling and aftercooling and will sport a direct injection fuel system based on Navistar’s MaxxForce technology. There will be plenty of torque for the heavy jobs; peak torque will range from 1,550 to 1,850 lb-ft.

“Our competitors said it would take years. Well, here it is,” Navistar’s Jim Hebe said as the 15-litre diesel was shown in a shiny new ProStar and the ignition was turned on at the company’s splashy press conference in Louisville. “We are now the most vertically integrated truck manufacturer in North America.”

The engine will be available for purchase in 2010.

Well-known engine maker Caterpillar shocked the industry last year when it announced it would not develop a heavy-duty truck engine that would meet the 2010 emissions standards and that it was exiting the truck market. However, Caterpillar did not completely exit the market. It further shocked the industry when it struck a deal with Navistar to work on producing a severe service truck under the Caterpillar brand as well as collaborating on other “unspecified projects.”

The 15-litre engine just unveiled is the first of those “unspecified projects.”

The 15-litre MaxxForce engine is a combination of Caterpillar’s C15 engine basic block and architecture with Navistar’s own fuel and emissions systems. And like Navistar’s other diesel-power offerings, the new 15-litre engine will rely on EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) to meet the 2010 emission standards, rather than SCR (selective catalytic reaction) which all other engine manufacturers are turning to.

Navistar also announced that MaxxPower brand components will soon be available on International brand trucks, IC Bus brand school and commercial buses, and Workhorse chassis products.

“Delivering fully-integrated products and solutions designed from the outset for our vehicles will help deliver maximum performance and reliability,” said Jack Allen, president of Navistar’s North American Truck Group.

These products will be designed and engineered by and for Navistar as original equipment and factory-installed. Fully integrated and designed to work with Navistar truck and bus products, MaxxPower components will be backed by Navistar’s comprehensive distribution network with replacement parts and warranty through the International, IC Bus and Workhorse dealer networks.

MaxxPower products will include drivetrain and suspension components and options like auxiliary no-idle solutions. The offerings include the MaxxPower Front Air Suspension and MaxxPower Battery Powered HVAC No-Idle Solution, both available on the International ProStar and LoneStar tractors. Future products will be released throughout the year.