Hino Trucks is adding a $6,700 surcharge to the base sticker price of its Class 4-7 line of commercial trucks to cover the cost of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology it will use to enable its vehicles to comply with EPA 2010 emission regulations.
Hino’s surcharge is right about dead center among the cost increases announced to date by several truck OEMs planning to use SCR.
Daimler Trucks North America said it plans to add a $9,000 surcharge to its trucks powered by Detroit Diesel DD15 and DD16 big-bore engines, as well as those equipped with medium-bore DD13 engines, which drops to $7,300 for vehicles equipped with the Cummins ISC8.3 engine and down to $6,700 for trucks equipped with Cummins ISB6.7 engines. Volvo Trucks North America said it will charge $9,600 extra for its SCR-equipped trucks
Hino’s surcharge is on the low end compared to the announced 2010 price increase by Navistar, the OEM that plans to forgo the use of SCR entirely in favor of an advanced exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system in combination with accrued federal emission credits.
Navistar will charge an additional $8,000 for its heavy-duty truck models equipped with MaxxForce 11- and 13-liter engines, dropping to $6,000 for medium-duty models featuring MaxxForce 7-, 7.6-, 9- and 10-liter engines, along with a $6,000 increase for all of Navistar’s IC Bus school bus models as well as IC commercial models (including the HC Series and LC Series) equipped with MaxxForce engines.
“We think the 2010 surcharge for medium-duty trucks is going to range between $5,000 and $8,000, so Hino’s increase is right in the middle of that estimate,” Eric Starks, president of research firm FTR Associates, told FleetOwner.
“I think everyone is still trying to figure out what kind of cost increase the market can bear, so by pegging a number roughly in the middle of the range, they’ve given themselves room to make adjustments if necessary as the year progresses,” Starks added.
Hino has also created a new web microsite – www.hinoscr.com – dedicated to explaining how SCR works. Additional, the company said it’s scheduled a series of model year launch events for its dealers beginning the first week of December.
