Detroit Diesel - Detroit Diesel Timeline

Detroit Diesel Timeline

• April 1937: The company was founded by General Motors as the General Motors Engine Division. Its initial product line was the Series 71 two-stroke engine family, consisting of exclusively in-line configurations ranging from one to six cylinders.
• 1938: Seven hundred Series 71 engines were delivered to General Motors Coach and Truck.
• World War II: When WWII broke out, General Motors' two-stroke, lightweight, compact engine was in great demand for landing craft, tanks, road-building equipment, and standby generators. Production amounted to 9000 engines in 1941 and 62000 engines in 1944.
• 1957: Introduction of the Series 53 and Series V-71 engines
• 1965: GM Diesel became Detroit Diesel Engine Division. Also, the Series 149 was introduced, replacing the prior Series 110.
• 1970: General Motors merged the Indianapolis-based Allison Division, maker of gas turbines and transmissions, to form the Detroit Diesel Allison Division.
• 1974: Series 92 was introduced.
• 1980: The 8.2 Fuel Pincher diesel was introduced.
• 1981: Series 92 was upgraded and renamed "Silver 92".
• 1982: A Detroit Diesel V8 engine was introduced in the Chevrolet C/K series light trucks.
• 1985: Detroit Diesel Electronic Control, the first electronic fuel injection system for diesel engines, was introduced.
• 1987: The Series 60 was introduced.
• 1988: The Series 50 was used by Cametal in Argentina.
• 1988: Penske Corporation bought a portion of the company. With GM, they spun Detroit Diesel Corporation off as a separate company.
• 1991: The Series 50 was used by Ferroni in Argentina, some exported to the USA and others sold in the argentinian market.
• 1993: The company completed an initial public offering (IPO), listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol DDC. Series 50 was introduced.
• 2000: DaimlerChrysler AG purchased the company, merging it with their MTU Friedrichshafen and Mercedes-Benz industrial engines businesses, creating the DaimlerChrysler Powersystems division.
• 2006: MTU Friedrichshafen, including the off-highway part of Detroit Diesel in the USA, was acquired by the EQT investment group. A new company, Tognum GmbH, was formed as a holding company for the brands. The on-highway division of Detroit Diesel was retained by DaimlerChrysler (now Daimler AG) as part of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). Both companies use the 'Detroit Diesel' name and corporate logo.
• 2007: On October 19, Detroit Diesel announced the DD15, a new heavy duty engine featuring turbo-compound technology. At the press conference, a new company logo was also unveiled.
• 2008: The DD13, a 12.8L heavy-duty engine, was introduced.
• 2010: The DD16, DD15, and DD13, EPA 2010 compliant, engines using BlueTec SCR were released.