KIT researchers developing low-pressure carbonitriding process for hardening steel with methylamine; applications in downsized engines
Nissan has more than 550 electric taxis on European roads

Daimler Trucks to produce new medium-duty diesels in Detroit; $375M investment

Daimler Trucks will begin production of the new medium-duty DD5 and DD8 diesel engines for the NAFTA market in Detroit effective 2018. The plant is currently beginning localized series production of the DT12 automated transmission for the NAFTA market as well.

Daimler Trucks invested $100 million for the new production of the DT12 automated manual transmission in Detroit. For the development and production of the new DD5 and DD8 engines, Daimler Trucks will additionally invest over $375 million.

The DT12 heavy-duty automated transmission is used in the Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 5700 XE heavy-duty trucks. The transmission achieves up to 3% better fuel consumption compared with a conventional manual transmission.

By 2015, more than 40% of all Freightliner Cascadia models in the NAFTA market were sold with the DT12 transmission. With local production of the DT12 transmission, previously sourced from the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau / Baden, Germany, Daimler Trucks can now respond more quickly to the rising demand in North America. Furthermore, customers of Daimler Trucks North America benefit from faster delivery times. Daimler Trucks continues to supply its Detroit facility with component parts for the transmission assembly out of Gaggenau.

The new DD5 and DD8 engines are from the Medium Duty Engine Generation (MDEG), which Daimler Trucks has developed in Germany to comply with the demanding Euro VI emissions standard. As of their market launch in 2016, the DD5 and DD8 engines will therefore also comply with the NAFTA standard for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG17) a year before it comes into force.

The medium-duty four- and six-cylinder engines use standardized components such as the cylinder head, cylinder block, connecting rods and camshaft. In the future both engines will be used in the entire product portfolio of Daimler Trucks North America. Up until the production launch in Detroit scheduled for 2018, the engines will be supplied from the Mercedes-Benz aggregate-plant in Mannheim, Germany.

The Daimler Trucks & Buses portfolio includes Mercedes-Benz trucks & buses, Setra, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, and Thomas Built Buses. With its aggregate-brand “Detroit”, Daimler Trucks has been offering US customers a harmonized powertrain crafted with its own engines, transmissions and axles. Having started this business in 2012, Daimler Trucks has been the first manufacturer in the North American market to offer an integrated powertrain manufactured under one roof.

Built in 1938, the “Detroit” aggregate plant in Redford has been owned by Daimler AG since 2000. In an area covering more than 280,000 square meters some 2200 employees produce engines, transmissions and axles for Daimler Trucks’ American commercial vehicle-brands.

Comments

The comments to this entry are closed.