Cummins Eyes Eventual Expansion in Medium-Duty Market
ATLANTA — Cummins Inc. is looking at how to expand its medium-duty powertrain market into Classes 4 and 5, eventually, a company executive said.
“We continue to look at it, what the right powertrain is. I think you’ll see over the next few years how we enter that [Classes 4 and 5] market. We do have interest. We just need to figure out how to attack it,” said Brett Merritt, general manager, on-highway engine business, at Cummins.
Transport Topics interviewed Merritt during the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show here Sept. 25.
NACV COVERAGE: All stories | Live blog | Photo gallery
The question is how do you “get the cost-effective solution that still meets the need of that market, and then have a partner that can cost-effectively compete on the truck side,” Merritt said.
In the meantime, Cummins has moved from a single percentage point market share in medium-duty in the early 2000s to now a leading 76%, “depending on what part of the market you calculate,” he said.
Cummins calculates it as Classes 6 and 7, as well as Class 8, Group 1 — “that’s a 9-liter engine,” he said.
“The medium-duty is a great market, and it kind of surprised a few of us. It has been a steady market, but at some point you thought it may not continue to grow, but it continues to be a strong market,” Merritt said.
