Hino Trucks has announced its intent to produce medium- and heavy-duty Hino trucks with Cummins engines for sale in North America.
As a result of this announcement, Hino intends to offer Cummins B6.7 and L9 engines in Hino’s L and XL Series models by the end of 2021.
Hino also says that it plans to redirect engineering and other resources to accelerate the development of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) portion of Project Z, the company’s development path to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). The company had previously announced plans to develop and produce a full range of Class 4-8 battery electric trucks by 2024. It is now planning to begin low volume production of the BEV models in the fourth quarter of 2022, ramping up to full production by the end of 2023.
Hino says it will begin production of Cummins-powered trucks at the West Virginia and the Woodstock plant in October, using engines built by Cummins at its Rocky Mount Engine Plant in North Carolina. The company plans to make the Cummins B6.7 engine available in the L Series by the end of 2021, initially offering the engine in two ratings: 240 HP and 260 HP. The B6.7 will be paired with Allison’s 2000 and 3000 Series transmissions. Starting in 2022, the Cummins L9 engine will be available in Hino’s XL Series model, initially in three ratings: 300 HP, 330 HP and 360 HP. The L9 can be paired with Allison’s 3000 or 3500 Series transmission or an Eaton manual.
Hino and Cummins say they will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to collaborate on powertrain strategies in the future.