Navistar plans to invest more than $100 million to move its world headquarters to Lisle, Ill., the former East Lucent Campus.
The move would preserve more than 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, the company says.

The headquarters would house Navistar's administration, engineering and research and development. Navistar is also seeking cooperation from the DuPage County Forest Preserve District to acquire ownership over the ring road surrounding the site, which would remove the financial burden of maintaining the road from the county.

"With this plan we'll achieve our twin goals of creating jobs while being a good neighbor for our community," said Dan Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and CEO. "If our headquarters proposal for Lisle is approved, we will remain in the Chicagoland area for many years to come and, at the same time, ensure our competitiveness in a global marketplace."

The proposal for the new headquarters includes the Lisle Technology Center (LTC), a research and development center that will contain six research and development cells. The research cells will operate part time during traditional business hours and one-third of them will focus on hybrid technology. Other research will include enhancing Navistar's military vehicle designs and developing electric trucks with stimulus money invested with Navistar by President Obama.

The LTC will require storing 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel. In total, the test cells will be used in moderation requiring 750 gallons of diesel fuel per week and require a fuel delivery about once every eight weeks.

"We look forward to investing in our new world headquarters in Lisle, contributing to the already-solid reputation of the Illinois Research and Technology corridor and building a strong and lasting relationship with the Lisle community," said Ustian.