Italy's Iveco SpA has established an independent engine operation covering the United States and Canada. Iveco Motors of North America officially begins operation this month in Carol Stream, Ill., following the redefinition of a North American distribution agreement with Lister-Petter.
The new Iveco North American engine operations are a wholly owned subsidiary of Iveco SpA. Part of the Fiat group, Iveco, with 2002 revenues of approximately $11 billion, is one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers. Iveco built over 161,000 vehicles in 2002, including light and medium trucks, buses, coaches, military vehicles and fire fighting equipment.
With a production volume of almost 361,000 engines in 2002, Iveco is also a major manufacturer of diesel and gaseous fueled engines. About 42 percent of Iveco's engine production goes into its own equipment, with the rest sold into a variety of on-highway, off-highway, stationary and marine uses globally.
The engine operations are headquartered in Torino, Italy, which is also one of the group's primary engine manufacturing operations. A plant in Pregnana Milanese (Milano) is the primary industrial, marine and power generation engine outfitting operation.
Vincenzo Perrone, general manager of the new North America operations, said the focus will be on application development, sales, marketing, and support of Iveco's complete line of diesel and natural gas engines.
Iveco Motors of North America is currently developing a distribution network in North America. The first move on the distribution side was naming Enerflex Systems Ltd. as the new company's Canadian distributor. Other distribution announcements are expected throughout 2004.
Them is an international twist to this as well. Luigi Carnino, general manager of Iveco Powertrain sales and marketing department, said establishing engine operations here also supports the company's worldwide sales efforts.
"There is an increasing amount of equipment with our engines, made in other parts of the world coming into the United States and Canada," Carnino said. "So besides selling engines for applications in North America, we need to have a service network to support our international OEMs in these markets. This is a key part of Iveco's global engine strategy."
The Iveco diesel engine line covers outputs from 40 to 2150 hp with tour families of engines: Sofim HP1, NEE Cursor and the large V-type. During the last five years, Iveco has invested over $1.2 billion to redesign its entire engine range to prepare for current emission legislation, as well as future limits affecting on- and off-highway equipment, Perrone said.
As a result, all of the current engine technologies are in evidence throughout the Iveco line; electronic control units, four-valves-per--cylinder, variable geometry and wastegated turbo-charging, as well as high-pressure, electronically controlled unit injection and common rail fuel systems.
"Our Tier 2 work is behind us," Perrone said. "We're now working on Tier 3 and beyond, focusing on maintaining a wide range of products with minimal implications for installation, cost and performance for the OEMs." All models detailed below are Euro 3Phase 2 and EPA Tier 2 certified.
As mentioned, the Iveco Motors of North America product range will be built around four engine families. The smallest in displacement are the Sofim HPI diesels, four-cylinder, in-line 2.3 L and 3.0 L engines with typical ratings of 123 hp at 3900 rpm, and 164 hp at 3500 rpm, respectively. Both are four-valve-per-cylinder, twin overhead cam designs with electronically controlled common rail fuel systems. Both have a cast iron block and an aluminum cylinder head.
Next up in displacement is the NEF family, of which there are over 400 configurations, and which are replacing Iveco's 8000 series.
Built at a brand new facility in Torino, the NEF line consists of three-, four- and six-cylinder in-line models. The three-cylinder, 3.4 L diesel has an output of 78 hp at 2300 rpm, while the four-cylinder version is available with 3.9 L or 4.5 L displacements with an output of 168 hp at 2700 rpm.
The six-cylinder NEF is offered as either a 5.9 L or 6.7 L diesel with an output of 270 hp at 2500 rpm. Noise is listed at 91 dB(A) at rated power for all versions.
The NEF engines are cast iron block designs (structural versions also available) with cast iron cylinder heads. Both turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines are available with two-valves-per-cylinder. Turbocharged and after-cooled engines are available with either two- or four-valves-per-cylinder. Both mechanical and electronically controlled common rail fuel systems are available.
The Cursor engine family has three models, all six-cylinder in-line designs; 7.8, 10.3 and 12.9 L, with outputs of 347 hp at 2400 rpm, 424 hp at 2100 rpm, and 532 hp at 1900 rpm. Built in Bourbon Lancy, France, the four-valve-per-cylinder Cursor diesels feature electronic unit injection with pressures above 23,000 psi. The engines also have electronically controlled variable geometry turbochargers. Noise levels are listed below 95 dB(A) at rated speed.
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