Daimler Trucks North America and its Detroit brand unveiled the new Detroit DD8 medium-duty engine at the NTEA’s Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

Aimed at vocational truck markets, the Detroit DD8 is a 7.7L in-line, 6-cylinder medium-duty engine. It offers a horsepower range of 260 to 350 hp and a torque range of 660 to 1050 lb.–ft.

The DD8 will expand on the Detroit medium-duty platform that was launched last year with the DD5. Daimler says the engine offers industry-leading fuel efficiency and maintenance intervals.

In addition, the DD8 will launch with both engine and transmission power-take-off options required for many vocational applications.

The DD8 will initially be available in the Freightliner M2106, 108SD and 114SD models. Expanded availability into additional DTNA products will come later, with future availability planned for Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner Custom Chassis.

Vehicles equipped with the DD8 will feature Detroit Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostic service. Virtual Technician helps fleets make informed maintenance decisions, so that they only service their vehicles when needed. In the case that a vehicle does need to go into the shop, Virtual Technician, with the backing of the experts at the Detroit Customer Support Center, provides access to in-depth information to get the vehicle repaired as accurately and quickly as possible, improving uptime.

“The Detroit DD8 is ideally suited for the vocational applications across the Daimler Trucks North America family of products,” said Kary Schaefer, general manager, marketing and strategy, Daimler Trucks North America. “The medium-duty engine options are all about giving our customers added value when making their engine selections.”

The Detroit DD8 is scheduled for availability with vehicle production beginning in February 2018, and targets a wide range of vocational applications, including utility/maintenance/repair service, pick-up and delivery, oil field, construction, logging, plow and dump, wrecking, refuse, fire/emergency and recreational vehicles.

In November 2015, Detroit announced a $375 million investment to bring the manufacturing of both proprietary medium-duty engines to its manufacturing facility in Redford, Michigan. The facility also produces the Detroit heavy-duty line of engines, the DT12 automated manual transmission and its complete offering of Detroit axles.