International reveals ’07 engine costs

The cost of technology changes to commercial trucks to meet the upcoming EPA 2007 exhaust emission limits will add a premium ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, International Truck & Engine Corp. said yesterday.

According to the Warrenville, IL-based truck and engine manufacturer, engine modifications to reduce emissions, larger cooling systems to control increased engine heat, and exhaust aftertreatment systems that include a diesel particulate filter (DPF) are going to add between $5,000 to $6,000 to the base cost of International’s medium-duty trucks and school buses, and upwards of $7,000 to $10,000 to the base price of its Class 8 heavy-duty vehicles.

“We recognize that this is a significant increase in [truck] pricing,” said Dee Kapur, president of International’s truck group, in a conference call with reporters. “But we are working with the rest of the industry to try and mitigate these increases by getting some [tax] incentives.”

Kapur noted that International is one of several truck makers working with the American Trucking Association (ATA) to try and get Congress to pass a bill to provide a 5% tax credit to truck owners that buy new trucks between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of 2007.

For more information, got o www.internationaldelivers.com.