July 28, 2006 -- Cummins Inc. has entered a partnership with an automaker to produce and market light-duty diesel engines for standard pickup trucks and SUVs, and other vehicles s under 8,500-lb gross vehicle weight.

No manufacturing site has been selected for the venture, though candidate states have been short-listed.

Based in Columbus, IN, Cummins designs and manufactures a wide range of vehicle engines, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. The new diesel engine design is the result of a nine-year partnership between the company and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Cummins states that the engines will deliver fuel savings averaging 30% over current gas-powered applications, depending on the drive cycle. The first vehicles with this engine should be available by the end of the decade.

For what it called competitive reasons, Cummins will not name its partner, except to describe it as “a major automotive manufacturer serving the North American market.”

Chairman and CEO Tim Solso stated: "This agreement gives the driving public an even greater opportunity to experience the benefits of a new class of vehicles powered by a high-performance, fuel-efficient, clean diesel engine made by Cummins. This line of diesel engines also will fuel the growth of an exciting new market in which Cummins does not currently participate."