Detroit Diesel Corporation Launches Enhanced 14-Liter Series 60(R) Engine

Truckers continue to choose flagship engine over others; retains leadership position in the industry

LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 31 -- As the leading heavy-duty engine in the commercial vehicle market, Detroit Diesel Corporation's (DDC) Series 60 engine is known for its fuel efficiency, electronics and durability among truck operators large and small in North America. The 2005 model brings the 14-liter offering to a new level of productivity for its customers.

Since 1992, the Series 60 engine has been the most popular heavy-duty truck engine in the Class 8 market based on R.L. Polk registrations. One of the reasons for the popularity of this engine is its significant fuel economy savings over other engines in the same class. Use of rigorous research, testing and analysis, and proprietary new tools have enabled DDC to make software modifications to the 14-liter engine that further increase fuel economy by up to 1.9 percent in some applications.

"We're constantly focused on how we can positively impact our customers' financial performance with improved business productivity," said Carsten Reinhardt, president and chief executive officer of Detroit Diesel Corporation. "The popularity of the Series 60 engine continues today because of its fuel economy advantage over other engines in the marketplace. We believe that our Series 60 is the most economical engine in the industry today."

Through the use of proprietary tools and software adjustments to fuel injection and EGR flow -- the results have been an increase of fuel economy up to 1.9 percent, without impacting performance or emissions. Furthermore, no hardware changes were required to gain this increase in fuel economy and the tests were validated not only by DDC lab results, but by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Type IV Fuel Economy Test standards, as well as real-world performance data from its customer base.

"Looking at it from the owner's perspective, the amount of savings could be significant depending on the number of trucks and their duty cycle," added Reinhardt. "For example, for a single truck operator, the savings could add up to about $800.00 annually. Or imagine an owner with 1,000 trucks, the savings just compounds."

The Series 60 engine is available in vehicles produced by business units of Freightliner LLC. Freightliner LLC is the largest manufacturer of heavy- duty trucks in North America and a leading manufacturer of medium-duty and specialized, commercial vehicles.

Detroit Diesel Corporation is the leading manufacturer of on-highway heavy-duty diesel engines for the commercial truck market. The company offers a complete line of engines from 170 to 515 horsepower for the on-highway and vocational markets. Through its corporate headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Diesel is engaged in the design, manufacture, sale and service of these products, in addition to supporting alternative and hybrid engine strategies for the commercial truck marketplace. Detroit Diesel is a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler and part of the Freightliner Group.