Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced the start of vehicle production on February 5, 2018 with the new Detroit DD8 engine. The engine is the latest addition to Detroit's expansive powertrain portfolio. The success of the DD8 engine further increases Detroit's overall market leadership and complements the already-in-production DD5 engine for medium-duty and vocational markets.
"Based on the initial orders we are seeing - which have exceeded our expectations - it's clear by providing our customers with a variety of engine choices, they have already embraced the dependability, serviceability and efficiency found in the high-quality products expected from Detroit," said Scott Kuebler, general manager, Component Sales. "The introduction of the DD8 engine was the natural next step in expanding our product portfolio and we are pleased with customer acceptance so far."
Manufactured at the same world-class facility as the Detroit DD13, Detroit DD15 and Detroit DD16 engines, as well as the Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission and Detroit axles, the new DD8, along with the DD5, will strengthen Detroit's line-up of powertrain offerings. Detroit has continued to evolve through technological innovations and an ever-expanding product portfolio to provide customers with an array of solutions for their businesses.
"The successful launch of the DD8 engine is yet another testament to our global powertrain strategy. During an intense four-year program, we invested $375 million to develop and optimize our global medium-duty engine platform for the North American market, and to manufacture the DD5 and DD8 engines in our state-of-the-art Detroit facility in Redford, Michigan," said Rakesh Aneja, head of powertrain engineering, DTNA. "The DD8 engine provides a superior value to our customers in key areas such as service intervals, durability, reliability, warranty and fuel economy."
Starting with the launch of the Detroit heavy-duty engine platform in 2007, Detroit components continue to set industry benchmarks today. In fact, Detroit maintains a 95% engine penetration rate across all heavy-duty Freightliner and Western Star truck models. Also, the DD5 engine - Detroit's first medium-duty offering - has been chosen by customers one-third of the time when there is technical coverage for their application.
"We have made significant investments to extend our powertrain offerings to provide our customers the best solution for their business needs," said Kelly Gedert, director of product marketing, Freightliner and Detroit Components. "And today, with the initial success of both the DD5 and DD8 engines, we are positioned to continue our growth in the medium-duty and vocational segments."
"The DD8 is built for performance with features that meet the needs of those specialized segments," said Brian Daniels, manager, Detroit Powertrain and Component Product Marketing. "Additionally, a big differentiator for the Detroit brand is the Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics system which is available as standard on both the DD5 and DD8 engines. Virtual Technician helps fleets make informed service decisions within minutes of an engine or aftertreatment fault event, increasing uptime."
The DD8's best-in-class maintenance intervals are up to three times longer than the competition. One of the features designed with the vocational market in mind is variable exhaust cam phasing, used at low engine speeds to increase exhaust temperatures and increase uptime by reducing the need for manual regenerations. The DD8 also has an impressive B10 life of 400,000 miles, backing the company's commitment to delivering a robust and reliable product to this market.
Available for Freightliner M2 106, 108SD and 114SD truck models, the DD8 engine is ideal for segments such as pick-up and delivery, utility, construction, dump, mixer, plow, towing and recovery, refuse, and fire and emergency.
"Detroit components are designed to work together for optimized efficiency. Regardless of the application, Detroit has powerful solutions that positively impact on our customers' bottom lines," said Gedert. "When customers demand Detroit, we deliver."
