Freightliner to Delay Global Engine, Exec Says

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

OUISVILLE, Ky. — Freightliner’s top executive said the company would introduce a global engine platform in 2007, as scheduled, but the launch date has slipped a few months amid the complexity of developing the new powerplant.

The same basic engine would be used in various markets and applications around the world.

“Clearly our objective is to get down to one heavy-duty engine platform worldwide. When that takes place, when we can reap those benefits, is the question,” said Chris Patterson, chief executive officer of Freightliner LLC, a unit of the DaimlerChrysler AG.

Freightliner announced the engine program in 2003, when Rainer Schmueckle, Patterson’s predecessor, said the global engine would come in six configurations, ranging from 9.5- to 16-liter displacements.

For the full story, see the April 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.