DETROIT’S FUTURE
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In addition to Euro-6, Daimler has now announced the re-energisation of the Detroit brand. No longer will the badge be appended to engines alone, but it seems, also to transmissions and axles.
Renschler says: “We are now extending the Detroit Diesel brand across the entire Power Pack, so over time it will serve to strengthen our ‘captive’ strategy. I’m not going to tell you what and when, but we will have the next concrete step at the Mid-America Show next year.” Does this mean a Detroit-branded Powershift Transmission? “Wait until the Mid America Trucking Show,” says Renschler.
And the axles? “Could be, Detroit Axles sounds much better than ACC Axles.” However, North American operators are still wary of captive trucks where engine, transmission and axle are supplied by the same company, so is Daimler still committed to offering a non-captive driveline? “When you look to the heavy-duty engine, our customers would be happy with 100% captivity, but we said that it made sense to have one – in this case Cummins – external choice if the customer is very price-sensitive. I would not say no, but if something such as this should happen, you would need to look at a time frame of between 10 to 15 years. It’s not a case of pushing a supplier out, but of utilising products better to optimise the entire product.” And will Detroit be aimed at external business again? “No – we have Tognum and MTU for that; this is not the Powertrain strategy of 1998 revisited.”