Detroit Marks Production of 250,000th Heavy Duty Engine Platform

Less than seven years after introducing its Detroit DD15 engine, Detroit Diesel on Wednesday marked the production of its 250,000th DD Series engine.

The DD Series engines also include the Detroit DD13, Detroit DD15 TC and Detroit DD16 engines.

Jointly developed by Daimler Trucks in Germany, Japan and the United States, and featuring more than 90% globally shared parts, the DD Series heavy-duty engine platform was the largest investment ever made in product development by an engine manufacturer, according to Daimler Trucks.

“The DD Series engines were well-received by the market, outperforming the Series 60 engine in just the first year,” said Brad Williamson, manager, engine and component marketing for Daimler Trucks North America.

All DD Series engines feature a design with the exclusive Amplified Common Rail System, which works in combination with Detroit DDEC electronic engine controls to decrease fuel consumption while reducing noise and vibration, said Daimler Trucks.

“The DD Series lowers the real cost of ownership for our customers,” said Williamson. “Our engineers implemented industry-first technologies that set the stage for ongoing achievements.”

Daimler Trucks said these achievements include using BlueTec SCR emissions technology, introduced to meet EPA 2010 emissions standards and meeting 2014 greenhouse gas regulations a full year ahead of the mandate for certification.

With the launch of the new integrated Detroit Powertrain, Daimler Trucks said Detroit engines are poised to deliver even better results.

“The DD15 is now our flagship product, and it serves as the heart of our solutions,” said Williamson.

The integrated Detroit powertrain has the DD15 engine with a new downspeed rating of 400 horsepower and 1750 pounds foot of torgue. Together with the Detroit DT12 transmission and Detroit axles, the powertrain provides seamless component communication, according to Daimler Trucks.

All Detroit engines are manufactured at the Detroit headquarters in Redford, Mich. Since opening in 1938, Detroit has built more than 5,000,000 engines at the 3,000,000 square-foot plant. Over the past 10 years, parent company Daimler Trucks North America said it has invested more than $750 million dollars in the facility.