Navistar Challenges Competitors to Fuel-Economy Showdown

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Transport Topics / July 24, 2015

Navistar said it invited each of its Class 8 competitors to participate in a performance test comparing fuel economy of their best performing truck against its International.

The showdown would take place at the company’s new proving grounds in New Carlisle, Indiana during the week of Aug. 31.

“We have worked hard to ensure our heavy-duty products lead the way in fuel economy, driver appeal and uptime performance, and we want to prove it,” Navistar Senior Vice President Jeff Sass said in a statement. “The heavy-duty products we are building today are the highest quality, most fuel-efficient trucks we have built in decades,” he added.

The company said the testing will follow Society of Automotive Engineers protocols with vehicles driven at typical highway speeds with a gross combination weight of about 65,000 pounds.

The test will be for Class 8, on-highway sleeper model-year 2016 trucks. Only factory installed options will be allowed, including hardware, software and fluids.

Also, the truck must meet compliance and be capable of delivery. “We’re all proud of our trucks, and I believe that running our vehicles in an open and transparent forum, side by side, will not only raise the watermark but will also benefit each of our customers in this industry,” Sass said.

Tires will be standardized and provided by Navistar with sets randomly assigned for each vehicle as well as trailers.

To maintain consistent break-in levels, all the trucks will have mileage of 2,500 to 15,000 miles, Navistar said.