Cummins’ B6.7 engine to power new Isuzu Class 6, 7 trucks

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America said its 2022 F-Series trucks will come equipped with the Cummins (NYSE: CMI) B6.7 diesel engine for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The combined truck and engine package is the first product globally from the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICPP).

The B6.7, which has been produced by Cummins for nearly 40 years, allows Isuzu to expand into Class 7. Combined with a recent announcement of the start of production of its Class 5 gas engine models, the new platform gives Isuzu a broad range of products for fleet needs, said Shaun Skinner, president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Canada, during a press briefing on Friday.

“It’s really the first step in a global relationship between Isuzu and Cummins,” Skinner said. “With the announcement of the Class 5 gas engine last week, and with the addition of this, we are going to have, I think, our strongest lineup ever in Classes 3 to 7.”

The B6.7 will be included in the Class 6 FTR (25,950-pound gross vehicle weight rating) and Class 7 FTV (33,000-pound GVWR). It will be the only engine offered in the models and will be paired with an Allison (NYSE: ALSN) 2500 RDS transmission. A “de-rated” Class 6 FTV will be offered as well.

Isuzu has spec’d the engine for 260 horsepower and 660 pounds-foot of torque, making it the highest-horsepower Cummins B6.7 produced.

“The Cummins B6.7 has a legacy that goes back almost 40 years, so we’re excited to see it in the Isuzu F-Series,” said Rob Neitzke, executive director of Cummins’ On-Highway OEM Business. “It gives Class 6 and 7 truck buyers in the U.S. and Canadian markets new ways to experience the B6.7, with configurations that don’t exist today.”

The trucks, which will feature eight wheelbase options ranging from 152 inches to 248 inches, will be built in Chalet, Michigan. They will be equipped with either 50-gallon or 100-gallon fuel tanks. New LED headlamps and interior design are among the changes in design.

Skinner noted that the B6.7 engine allows Isuzu to expand into applications that the current Class 6 four-cylinder engine just didn’t perform well in. In addition, it is giving Isuzu an opening into Class 7 where it sold very few models previously.

“It expands our footprint that we will occupy,” Skinner said. “The Cummins engine in the low-cab-forward design, which is unique in the marketplace, offers a lot of opportunity in the [urban environment].”

Skinner specifically noted growth in e-commerce driving increased demand for Class 4 to 7 vehicles, and he believes Isuzu’s low-cab-forward design makes the vehicles ideal for urban environments.

“We feel with our advantage of the cab-forward design in those urban markets … [it] opens up opportunities in a number of areas from a geographic standpoint, but also [in different applications],” Skinner said.

In addition to e-commerce freight, Isuzu is targeting food and beverage and sweeper applications, but Skinner said there is a large opportunity in other areas as well.

The current FTR model will be built through the end of March before production ceases. Production of the Cummins-powered vehicles will begin in Q3 with delivery starting in Q4. Pricing and ordering information will be included in a more detailed presentation of the vehicle at the NTEA Work Truck Show in March.

Gas-engine production announced

Last week, Isuzu announced the start of production for its Class 5 gasoline engine. The 6.0-liter V8 will power the Class 5 NRR, which will make it the first 19,500-pound low-cab-forward truck in North America to be powered by a gas engine.

The engine will also be available on the 17,950-pound GVRW NQR.

“We see an increasing demand for gasoline engines throughout Classes 3, 4 and 5,” said Skinner. “These new Class 5 N-Series trucks will give our customers the widest range of gas engine options in the low-cab-forward market — and they meet upcoming new and stringent emissions requirements.”

The V8 is based on a VORTEC V8 block customized by Isuzu. They are certified and supplied by Power Solutions International. It produces 311 horsepower and 351 pounds-foot of torque at 4,150 rpm. The trucks feature an Alison 1000 RDS transmission with power takeoff.

Customers can choose between a standard cab with seating for three, or the crew cab with seating for up to seven, and wheelbases ranging from 132.5 to 176 inches. The trucks have a 38.6-gallon stainless-steel fuel tank.

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Brian Straight.

Cummins’ B6.7 engine to power new Isuzu Class 6, 7 trucks

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Brian Straight