Cummins and Turkish bus manufacturer Otokar are celebrating a 16-year partnership and the delivery of more than 20,000 engines into coach and bus applications.
A celebratory plaque presented by Cummins to Otokar marked the occasion at the Cummins engine plant in Darlington. The first installation took place in 2006 and now approximately 90% of buses produced at Otokar’s Sakarya manufacturing facility in Türkiye are fitted with Cummins Euro VI F2.8, B4.5 and B6.7 diesel or L9N natural gas engines.
“We are excited to celebrate this key milestone with Otokar,” says Cenk Yavuz, Türkiye Territory Manager at Cummins. “Since supplying our first engine, the Euro IV ISB4.5 for the Sultan midi-bus in 2006, we have worked in partnership to ensure our products meet Otokar’s needs for high performance, reliability, simplicity and easy maintenance. As Otokar’s business continues to expand, we look forward to working with them on future projects.”
Adds Kerem Erman, Assistant General Manager, Commercial Vehicles, Otokar: “The Turkish bus market grew 8% by units last year and we increased our market share substantially. One out of every two buses sold in Türkiye was Otokar branded, many of which were Cummins powered.
“A long-term partnership with our suppliers, reliable aftersales support, spare parts availability and warranty support are very important for us. We have a great relationship with Cummins – it is a trusted partner to Otokar and its Euro VI advanced diesel and natural gas engines have been instrumental to our success.”
For 13 years Otakar has been a leading bus supplier in Türkiye, selling products in lengths between 6.6m and 21m to more than 50 countries, with capacity ranging between 46 and 146 passengers. Cummins engines power its low-emission diesel and ultra-low-emission natural gas vehicles, which include the Kent, Territo/SHD, the Vectio/Doruk, and the Sultan/Navigo ranges.
The manufacturer recently extended its product line with Centro, a 6.6m minibus motivated by a 143hp (104kW) Cummins F2.8 Euro VI engine. It also recently received orders for high volumes of its Cummins powered natural gas Kent C compressed natural gas city bus from Ukraine, Romania and Azerbaijan for delivery this year.