During a special event Tuesday in Huntsville, Ala., Navistar Engine Group celebrated the 75th anniversary of its first production diesel engine, the D-40, with the dedication of the facility that will build its newest diesel engine family, MaxxForce Big Bore.


The event also highlighted the company's engine offerings, ranging from 50 to 475 horsepower for use in on- and off-highway, agricultural, industrial, defense and stationary power applications, as well as plans for global expansion.

Navistar Chairman, President and CEO, Dan Ustian, and Engine Group President, Jack Allen, spoke to a crowd of global OEM customers and prospects, local dignitaries, Navistar employees and local and trade press, delivering a retrospective look at the company's 75 years of diesel engine production leadership and a visionary look forward at where the diesel technology global leader is heading.

"This milestone is about much more than an anniversary," said Ustian. "This is about our scientists, designers, engineers and manufacturing personnel around the world, who for decades have been responsible for the performance and quality that made reaching this point possible."

In 1933 Navistar, then International Harvester, launched its first production diesel, a 50-horsepower four-cylinder engine for stationary and agricultural applications. For the next 75 years the company produced innovative engines for agricultural, construction, military and on-highway applications. Significant milestones during those years include the introduction of the DT 466, the Ford Power Stroke Diesel, the first "smokeless diesel" engine, the first fully electronically controlled Mid-range commercial diesel and the Green Diesel Technology platform, which led the way for today's advanced clean diesel technologies.

Today, more than 15 million engines later, Navistar commands 42 percent of the midrange diesel engine market and 64 percent of the school bus engine market in North America. In South America, Navistar Engine Group commands more than 50 percent market share of the mid-size pickup and SUV segment, and accounts for nearly 40 percent of all commercial and consumer diesel engines produced. And Navistar continues to grow rapidly on other continents, especially in India, China and Eastern Europe.

The MaxxForce Big Bore Assembly facility is the newest addition to Navistar's global engine facilities. With operations now under way, the 300,000-square-foot plant produces the new MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13.

Designed specifically for International Class 8 trucks, with a combination of technologically advanced materials and components, the MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 13 engines deliver significant advantages over other competitive engines, according to Navistar.

Navistar's other engine-manufacturing and technical centers around the world include Melrose Park, Ill.; Indianapolis; Santo Amaro, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Jesus Maria, Cordoba (Argentina); and Canoas, Rio Grande do Sol (Brazil).

As a part of a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra, Navistar is also building a plant in India that will soon begin production of diesel engines for commercial, consumer and off-highway vehicles. Additionally, Dong Feng, a leading automotive manufacturer in China, has licensed a Navistar diesel engine design for use in commercial trucks in the Far East.