Toyota Tundra
Industry News Notes
The word of the month by a long shot has to be “diesel.” It seems the future of Cummins is not in any danger after Ram chose to offer the Fiat owned MV Motori 3.0L turbo diesel V-6 in the 1500. Nissan have jumped in bed with Cummins offering the 5.0L in the Titan and will likely power the Frontier with the new 2.8L. The diesel love seems to be spreading as Toyota is also said to be eying up the 5.0L. According to WardsAuto, Toyota will likely use the Cummins 5.0L V-8 turbo diesel in the 2016 model year to help meet the next level of corporate average fuel economy targets. The engine will be accompanied by more powertrain and weight-reducing improvements to come in the next version of the full-size pickup truck. Further evidence comes in the form of Toyota’s Rick LoFaso talking to Edmunds saying, "I think Cummins would bring instant name recognition and obviously they are a leader in diesel engine technology." Which begs the question, with so many in-house diesel options at their fingertips, (Hino Hybrid diesel and the 1VD-FTV twin-turbo V-8) why is Toyota looking to Cummins, who powers two of their competing brands (Nissan and Ram), for their diesel needs?