Jeep Wrangler set for diesel and hybrid

The US automotive press is awash with speculation that Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) is planning to reconfigure its Toledo, Ohio, assembly complex next year to build next-generation Jeep Wranglers.

Daimler's van sales rise 9 per cent

Mercedes-Benz Vans, which has reported record sales, revenue and EBIT figures for financial year 2015, delivered 321,000 vehicles, a rise of 9 per cent compared with 295,000.

Change of technical lead at Cummins

Jennifer Rumsey, vice president of engineering for Cummins' engine business, is replacing Dr. John Wall as chief technical officer as the company begins production of its new ISV5.0 diesel.

Ford can make 700,000 F-150 pick-up trucks a year

The first production 2015 Ford F-150 pickup with its aluminium body rolled off the line today at Ford Motor Company’s Rouge Center, Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant after years of preparation.

The F-150 will be built at two plants – Dearborn and Kansas City givin a total output capacity of 700,000 a year.

Ram 1500 gives The General a headache

General Motors’ product planners may be scratching their heads at the way the US market has moved in the direction of the Ram 1500 pick-up truck.

According to the latest US figures for March 2014, sales of the Ram 1500 tipped 42,532 units – a rise of 25.7 per cent over March 2013 – just beating sales of the Chevrolet Silverado at 42,247 units, a rise of only 6.8 per cent over March 2013.

Navistar to shutter US engine plant

Troy Clarke, Navistar International’s chief executive officer, has bitten the bullet and ordered the closure of the Huntsville plant of Navistar Diesel of Alabama LLC with the loss of 280 jobs.

Production of the plant will be moved to Navistar’s Melrose Park facility which will add about 75 jobs.

Rolls-Royce adopts CGI for engine heads

Further evidence of the growing acceptance of the transition towards compacted graphite iron (CGI) as a material of choice of engine makers can be found in the decision by Rolls-Royce AG subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen to use CGI for the cylinder heads of an upgrade of its class-leading Series 2000 industrial engine.

The CGI cylinder head upgrade, compared to the previous generation head, was specified to enable increased power and to ensure durability in the demanding duty cycles experienced by marine, mining, construction and stationary power generating engines.

Wider market seen for Cummins V8 CGI diesel

Cummins Inc. is developing a version of the V8 Turbo Diesel for commercial vehicle customers and this could widen the application of the new diesel beyond the first application which is Nissan’s next-generation Titan pick-up truck.

To accommodate this, Cummins has said that its ‘historic’ Columbus Engine Plant (CEP) is being readied to build the new Cummins 5-litre V8 Turbo Diesel for Nissan's next-generation Titan, and will require additional personnel to fulfil the programme, though at this stage Cummins HR department is not revealing numbers.

"This is an exciting announcement for our Cummins team," said Tom Linebarger, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. "We are bringing our innovation and latest technology in engines and after-treatment products to a new segment of customers. Importantly, this will help us grow our own business as well as allow us to help an important new partner, Nissan, succeed in the market."