Navistar plans to build its new integrated powertrain for the North American commercial vehicle market at its recently expanded plant in Huntsville, Alabama.
The OEM invested more than $190 million in the Huntsville Powertrain Manufacturing Plant expansion, which began in February 2020. The company said on April 20 that the 110,000-sq.-ft. expansion would increase its manufacturing capabilities.
Navistar’s new integrated powertrain is part of Traton Group’s collaborative development program to demonstrate its common modular system for trucks and buses. Navistar-parent Traton’s modular system enables efficient cross-brand development and production while still allowing for regional adaptation and validation of the integrated powertrain for the North American market.
“Navistar has worked to meet customer demand by accelerating time to market of this integrated powertrain through a modular approach and collaboration with the Traton Group’s global truck brands,” said Michael Grahe, Navistar EVP of operations. “We will set a new standard of efficiency for our customers with this integrated powertrain, contributing to our path to sustainable transportation.”
Navistar collaborated with other Traton brands for more than five years to develop the integrated powertrain. Additionally, according to the OEM, Navistar committed thousands of hours of research and development and test miles to validate the integrated powertrain for the North American market. In preparation for the introduction to the market, Navistar will use fleet evaluation units to collect data and real-world input with direct customer feedback from U.S. and Canadian customers.