Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/211068
How fate moved Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo diesel from the next-generation Ram 1500s to Nissan's Titans A decade ago, around 2004, Cummins engineers embarked on a new engine that would be another hallmark for the 94-yearold company: a 5.0L diesel V-8. An engine they knew would gain the same stellar reputation in the half-ton pickup world that their 5.9L in-line six did under the hoods of hundreds of thousands of heavy-duty Dodge Rams. By 2006, Cummins' concept engine had evolved from all-night brain-storming sessions and computer models to a small-block V-8 diesel engine well on its way toward production. Chrysler execs and engineers were just as excited with the prospect of coming to market with a V-8 diesel in the Ram 1500s because it would bolster the Dodge brand as a leader in the light-duty truck market. Meanwhile, sources say, Nissan was spending some time in Cummins' Columbus manufacturing/ design facility, with the local rumor mill buzzing about building a diesel for the Titan and Armada the central discussion. Cummins' timing of the V-8 diesel was impeccable because early in 2008 pickup sales, in general, were booming, and the other light duty truck manufacturers were also well into development of their own ½-ton diesels. It seemed all the pickup manufacturers were shooting to 16 PROPICKUP December 2013 have diesel halfton pickups coming out in 2009-2010 model years, with Cummins and Dodge ready to lead the charge. Sources say both Ram and Cummins were mere months away from announcing the Ram 1500 V-8 diesel when the stock market crashed in the fall of '08. Fuel prices skyrocketed. Pickup sales plummeted. Auto manufacturer bankruptcies and government bailouts flourished. Companies changed hands. Plans for ½-ton diesels died in the financial wreckage, their research and documentation stored away on hard drives while prototypes were pushed into the corners of storage rooms and the doors locked. Fast forward to fall 2013. The economy and automotive industry are on the rebound. Pickup sales are once again flourishing. So is the drive to get diesels in cars – and half-ton pickups. Those "old" half-ton diesel prototypes were dusted off, their plans re-evaluated and new technologies applied. Cummins never missed a beat. In fact they actually never really stopped brainstorming and planning for a ½-ton diesel. They just needed to get the green light THE LONG JOURNEY By Bruce W. Smith