Detroit Diesel Corp. and Freightliner LLC said their joint Customer Demonstration Program is on track with 40 planned customer demonstration Class 8 vehicles assembled.

Most of these units – all equipped with EPA '07 compliant Series 60 engines – are in the process of being delivered to 16 customers.
Although still several months away from public release, the 2007 Series 60 engine has proven itself with more than five million test miles. Detroit Diesel claims this engine delivers the durability, power and reliability customers have come to expect from a Series 60. Additionally, testing so far has shown excellent fuel economy, which enables the Series 60 to maintain its position as the industry fuel-economy leader among Class 8 heavy-duty diesel engines.
In addition to the Series 60, Detroit Diesel Corp. is set to launch the Mercedes-Benz 900 medium-duty diesel engine and Mercedes-Benz 4000 heavy-duty diesel engine in 2007.
In preparation to meet the new emissions standards, Detroit Diesel is conducting the most aggressive and comprehensive testing program in its history. By the time the three engines launch in 2007, the company expects to have accumulated 24 million test miles.
"We've learned a tremendous amount over the past year through our testing efforts and through our customer demonstration program," said Tim Tindall, director of the EPA '07 program for Detroit Diesel. "These customer engines have full engine and aftertreatment functionality so we will continue to gather feedback from our valued customers and apply what we learn across all of our engines in an effort to deliver products that provide superior fuel economy, driveability, durability and reliability."