mtu becomes the most important brand for powerful yacht engines

• DaimlerChrysler yacht engines to be sold under the mtu brand name
• Nine engine series from 700 to 12,000 hp (500-9000 kW)
• Market share of 56 percent for yachts over 25 meters long

DaimlerChrysler yacht engines to be sold under the mtu brand name

Friedrichshafen. In the future, all of the yacht engines manufactured in the DaimlerChrysler group will be sold under the mtu brand. The brand will also include engines that previously bore the brand name of Detroit Diesel. This is part of a brand strategy that MTU Friedrichshafen and its sister company Detroit Diesel have agreed to deploy for their new presence on the market.

After DaimlerChrysler AG took over the U.S. engine manufacturer Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC), the group focused its off-highway activities in the product unit " DaimlerChrysler Powersystems Off-Highway".

MTU Friedrichshafen, which has belonged to DaimlerChrysler for over 30 years, will play a leading role in this product area. As the name implies, this business addresses those application segments that are used off-highway. The yacht market counts among those segments.

Nine engine series from 700 to 12,000 hp (500-9000 kW)

Within the DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway business, mtu and DDC are joining forces where their development activities, product ranges and sales channels are concerned. Thus, a product range of nine engine series with between 700 and 12000 hp (500 to 9000 kW) is available on the yacht market.

It comprises the mtu Series 183, 396, 595, 956, 1163 and 8000 as well as DDC's Series 60. Also included are the Series 2000 and 4000, which mtu and DDC have been manufacturing and selling jointly since 1996.

Market share of 56 percent for yachts over 25 meters long

The Series 2000 and 4000, together with the 183 model range, make up the largest portion of revenue generated by the DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway unit on the yacht market. These three series have helped the company attain its excellent position in the global yacht market: 56 percent of all of the mega yachts ordered in the course of 2001 - i.e. yachts with a length of 25 meters or more - were equipped with mtu or Detroit Diesel engines. The 16V 2000 engine with 2000 hp performed especially well in this respect, attaining a market share of over 90 percent in its power range.

The use of the mtu brand name in the yacht market follows the positive development the company's business has been taking over the past years, and fits in with the good image of the name. Especially where fast boats are concerned, mtu has held a good market position for years. One clear example is the patrol boat market segment: Almost 80 percent of all patrol boats in the world market are equipped with mtu propulsion systems. What is in demand there is high performance at a low weight and with small dimensions. These have been traditional features for mtu engines for many years now.

Another factor, which is important for the yacht market, is mtu's ability to deliver complete propulsion systems that contain various propulsion components and integral electronic controls. Thus, the company often equips boats with engines, turbines, gearing systems, on-board power supply units and electronic control and monitoring systems. To cite an example from the yacht market: mtu's electronic component "Blue Line" combines all components of the entire propulsion system - engines, gearing, controls and monitoring - to form one overall system. This electronic system can be further extended to become a multifunctional ship automation system controlling not only the propulsion system, but also tanks, on-board power supply, doors, hatches and other components.