WARRENVILLE, Ill. Navistar International Corporation, parent company of International Truck and Engine, has won the 2007 Blue Sky Award from WestStart-CALSTART for its contributions to the commercial development of diesel-hybrid technology.

The award is presented each year by WestStart-CALSTART, an advanced transportation technology industry organization, which works to support and accelerate the growth of companies developing clean and energy-efficient transportation technologies.

The award will be presented to International at The Blue Sky Award ceremony and luncheon, to be held this year at the California Institute of Technologys Atheneum facility in Pasadena.

Navistars contributions to advanced diesel-hybrid technology include the companys co-development (with Eaton) of the International diesel-electric hybrid truck. The truck uses an electrified power supply that allows the vehicle to be driven in electric-only mode.

The Blue Sky Award spotlights those who are ahead of the pack in moving clean, efficient fuels and vehicles to market, said John Boesel, president and CEO of WestStart-CALSTART. Navistar has invested the engineering, development and field assessment time earlier and faster than its competitors to make hybrids into a commercial product. Just as important, it is moving this technology into the truck world, which on a per-vehicle basis has a huge air quality and climate change impact.

We are honoured to receive this prestigious award, said Dee Kapur, president of the Internationals truck group. It underscores that diesel-hybrid technology is now commercially available on a mass scale. Thanks to the energy efficiency and the emissions reductions made possible by diesel-hybrid vehicles, truck and bus customers will be able to save thousands of dollars in fuel costs per vehicle each year, while knowing that they are delivering significant clean-air benefits as well.

Officials say Internationals diesel-hybrid vehicles emit 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than conventional diesel engines, which significantly reduces emissions of this greenhouse gas. Independent test results also verify that use of diesel-hybrid vehicles can reduce the amount of fuel used by 40% to 60%, which, at US$3 per gallon, could lead to savings of US$4,500 to US$5,000 a year per vehicle.