PEORIA, Ill., (March 18, 2004) — Caterpillar Inc. reaffirmed the company’s ability to meet stringent 2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for on-highway truck and bus engines this week -adding it will have engines ready for customer testing by 2005.

Caterpillar — which made the announcement at the American Trucking Associations Technology and Maintenance Council meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — will rely on advanced combustion ACERT technology as the foundation to meet the standards without sacrificing fuel economy, reliability or durability.

“The 2007 standards are extremely challenging, but we have a technology path to meet them,” said Richard L. Thompson, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for the company’s engine division. “More importantly, we have committed to our customers that Caterpillar will provide evaluation engines in the mid-2005 timeframe. This is critical for truck fleets and owner-operators who must gain comfort with engine performance and reliability in advance of the 2007 deadline.”

ACERT reduces emissions at the point of combustion. The technology capitalizes on Caterpillar’s leadership in engine electronics, fuel injection systems and combustion technology. All Caterpillar on-highway truck and bus engines now in production are being equipped with ACERT technology. The technology will also be used as the foundation to meet future emission regulations for the company’s entire diesel engine product line, including construction and mining machines, and power generation units.