Hino Trucks, Cummins partner on medium- and heavy-duty engine

Hino Trucks plans to produce medium- and heavy-duty trucks with Cummins engines for sale in North America. As a result, Hino intends to offer Cummins B6.7 and L9 engines in Hino’s L and XL Series models by the end of 2021.

“We are thrilled to offer Cummins’ proven B6.7 and L9 engines,” stated Hino’s Bob Petz, senior VP of vehicle and parts sales. “The reliability, performance and durability presented with Cummins engines coupled with the award-winning Hino conventional cab will provide our customers the Ultimate Ownership Experience.”

“The Cummins B6.7 and L9 have an unmatched legacy in the medium-duty space, with nearly 80 years of combined production history,” said Amy Boerger, Cummins’ vice president and general manager of North America On Highway. “We are confident Hino customers with Cummins engines will continue to enjoy low cost of operation ownership with our combined offering.”

As part of Hino’s Work Truck Show announcement, Hino 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 electric trucks by 2024. It is now planning to begin low volume production of the BEV models in Q4 2022, ramping up to full production by the end of 2023.

“Our industry is in the midst of a generational shift from traditional vehicles to zero-emission vehicles,” noted Hino’s Glenn Ellis, senior VP of Customer Experience. “This new partnership is in line with the recent shift we have seen among other OEMs who are looking to strong industry partners to help offset their growing R&D investments into new ZEVs.”

Hino will begin production of the trucks at the West Virginia and the Woodstock, Canada plants in October 2021, using engines built by Cummins at their 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 will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to collaborate on powertrain strategies in the future.