LOGAN TOWNSHIP, NJ - Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (MFTA) announced that its parent company, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Kawasaki, Japan, has unveiled a new, highly evolved powertrain to be introduced in the next generation of Mitsubishi Fuso Class 3-5 commercial trucks in North America. The integrated powertrain will meet EPA 2010 emissions standards and provide enhanced drivability, and is expected to increase fuel economy well over 10 percent, compared to the ­previous-generation Mitsubishi Fuso 4M50 engine designed for EPA 2007 emissions ­standards (based on internal testing).

The heart of the powertrain is the new 4P10 engine. The lightweight, highly efficient, 3.0L, in-line four-cylinder diesel powerplant is designed for rugged service and low fuel consumption.

The engine features an intercooled, 2-stage turbo­charger, piezo-type fuel injectors, common-rail injection system, dual overhead cams and lightweight block. Careful tuning and higher-revolution operation, combined with the rapid response of the piezo fuel injectors, provide a flat torque curve with excellent response and smooth operation.

A pioneering feature of the new powertrain is the DUONIC dual-clutch transmission, the culmination of a 30-year development effort by MFTBC. This is the first ever application, globally, of a dual-clutch transmission in a commercial truck, and brings significant customer benefits. The new 6-speed transmission works in sync with the new engine to meet the company's drivability, emissions, and fuel ­efficiency goals. Specifically, this new transmission technology will integrate the simple operation of an automatic transmission with the performance and fuel economy of a ­manual transmission.

The driver will drive the vehicle just as a standard automatic, using only a throttle and brake pedal - no clutch manipulation is required and no clutch pedal is installed. The transmission's electronic control system uses a multi-value control system to match transmission shift points to vehicle load, speed, driving conditions and accelerator angle, minimizing torque interruption (power decline) during gear changes. Gears change smoothly, without power loss during shifts.

In addition to perfecting gear-change management, the system is programmed to optimize gear selection. These improvements combine to provide maximum fuel savings while maintaining power delivery to the drive wheels and easy drivability for the operator.

For urban environments, the DUONIC transmission offers further enhancements. An "ECO mode" allows the driver to adjust shift points to reduce fuel consumption during heavy traffic operation, and a "creep" function has been added to make control of the vehicle easier when subtle adjustments to vehicle speed are needed in heavy stop-and-go traffic and for hill starts. For added convenience, and as with most automatic transmissions, a Park function has also been included, which locks an internal transmission gear to help assure safety and stability when the vehicle is parked.

Finally, the DUONIC transmission uses a wet-clutch design which eliminates the need for regular clutch changes due to wear, thus reducing maintenance costs and ­contributing to low cost of ownership.

BlueTec emissions technology requires no complex changes to the engine's operation. Rather, it provides full emissions compliance by treating the downstream exhaust gas, so engine and transmission characteristics can be optimized exclusively for performance and fuel economy.

The system consists of components already introduced to meet US EPA 2007 emissions regulations (the diesel particulate filter, or DPF, and diesel oxidation catalyst, or DOC), which have been enhanced with new BlueTec selective catalytic reduction (SCR) treatment. (BlueTec is a registered trademark of Daimler AG.)

The SCR system consists of a catalyst and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank, a DEF doser, and a control module. During operation, the DEF doser atomizes and sprays small, carefully regulated amounts of diesel exhaust fluid into the exhaust stream. Once in the presence of the SCR catalyst, the NO_x in the exhaust gas reacts with the DEF to form water and nitrogen - both harmless components of the air we breathe. DEF consumption is expected to be about 2% to 3% of the vehicle's fuel consumption rate, under most common operating conditions.

A high-efficiency exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) system with integrated EGR cooler also contributes to NO­_x reduction. The EGR cooler is housed in the same module as the continuous-control EGR valve to reduce the space required for this part of the emissions control system.

The new powertrain's reliability and everyday performance is assured due to an extensive testing program. It has undergone durability tests accumulating nearly 2 million miles in Asia, Europe and the United States. In addition, the 4P10 engine and BlueTec system are already installed in selected Mitsubishi Fuso trucks operating in Europe, and have recently been introduced into Mitsubishi Fuso's product line in Japan.

The new integrated powertrain, with its many advanced technologies, will provide a robust, reliable powertrain for the next generation of Mitsubishi Fuso Class 3-5 commercial medium-duty trucks.