Daimler Trucks will invest $375 million to enable production of its new DD5 and DD8 medium duty engines at Detroit™ brand headquarters and manufacturing facility in Redford, MI. The new lines will add approximately 160 new jobs.
Daimler Trucks, joined by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and nearly 2,000 UAW workers, celebrated the announcement of the new lines of DD5 and DD8 medium duty engines and officially launched production of the company’s Detroit™ DT12™ automated manual transmission in late November.
“This is an exciting day for Daimler Trucks and Detroit. Our investment is a tangible example of how we maximize the use of our global platforms optimized for regional markets,” said Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Daimler AG Board of Management member responsible for Trucks and Buses. “‘Built in Detroit’ is not just a marketing slogan, it is our commitment to strengthen the industrial base in Detroit and to deliver the most fuel efficient engines to our customers. I am convinced: With our medium-duty engines we will repeat the success story of our best-selling heavy-duty engines.”
The Detroit™ integrated powertrain – which includes Detroit™ Engines, Axles, and the DT12 Transmission – is part of Daimler Trucks’ Global Excellence Strategy to have uniform production standards and processes worldwide. The new Detroit DD5 and DD8 engine development is another example of Daimler’s international development effort, with global testing and validation being undertaken in both Europe and the U.S., and series production in Europe since 2012.
Select Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) vehicles will be available with medium duty power by the end of 2016. The engines will be initially built and shipped from Daimler’s powertrain facility in Mannheim, Germany with industrialization at the Detroit facility in 2018. DTNA’s entire product line-up, including vehicles equipped with the DD5 and DD8, will meet GHG17 standards early.
“Michigan has long-been the world’s automotive leader and we are proud that Daimler will continue to play a big role in our state’s reinvention moving forward,” said Gov. Snyder. “This is an investment in Detroit and the hardworking people of Michigan.”