The automotive industry is ever-changing. Some brands go bankrupt, others are bought out by larger manufacturers or enter a joined cooperation.
During the past couple of decades, the brand names and identity remain constant, but it’s still not entirely clear who’s the real owner. The question is even more complicated in terms of engines, as it’s not uncommon for the same engine to be used by four different brands.
Cummins is somewhat of an exception. They do not make vehicles, but they make engines, to the point where they’re one of the world’s largest engine manufacturers.
The Cummins company is not owned by any automobile company. It’s an independent company. It produces engines for pickup trucks, 18-wheelers, buses, agricultural equipment, military application, railways, and dozens of other fields.
Cummins Inc. formerly known as Cummins Engine Company is a multinational corporation that designs and manufactures engines and power generators for the broadest market.
The following list represents just a small sample of their market:
The company has collaborated with a number of American, Japanese, and Indian auto manufacturing companies, among many others.
However, none of these companies has any stake in Cummins Inc. and while they can dictate the requirements, Cummins’ engineers and production plants are responsible for designing, manufacturing, and distributing the engines.
The Cummins Engine Company was established in 1919 in Columbus, Indiana by three people: J Irwin Miller, Willaim G. Irwin, and Clessie Cummins, who was a mechanic.
The start was slow, and the company barely established any market presence in the early days, but the growth after WW2 was astronomical, with over 50% of heavy-duty trucks using the Cummins diesel engine.
The company that has started small in Indiana has now spread its operation to 197 states, making it one of the most significant suppliers of internal-combustion powertrains.
To list off all the vehicles that use the Cummins diesel engines would be a near-impossible task. With over 100 years in the business, Cummins powertrains have been powering hundreds, if not thousands of vehicles and machinery.
The following list represents only the most relevant commercial engine applications in recent years:
We usually make articles with a different structure, but the previous sections do a great job of answering the primary question. However, there are still a lot of additional questions you may have, so scroll through the following FAQ to see what is true and what is just a misconception or a myth.
Ford has offered the Cummins diesel engine in their medium and heavy-duty trucks for a number of years, but Ford never manufactured them. Cummins is its own company with no ownership ties with Ford. It’s also one of the largest diesel engine suppliers in the world.
Ford did own a 10.8% common stock share in the company, but that was back in 1990, and Cummins bought out the shares in 1997, severing that tie.
Cummins has production plants in several states and continents, but the engines you’ll find in the American-built cars are generally built domestically in Columbus, Indiana. However, some engines might be built in Mexico, especially those that are combined with Mexican-built American brands.
Cummins has 4 manufacturing plants in Mexico: one in Juarez, Chihuahua, and three in San Luis Potosi.
The Cummins engine is most commonly found in Dodge Rams, mainly the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 pickup trucks, as well as Ram 3500, Ram 4500, and Ram 5500 chassis cabs. It has also made its way into some Ford and Chevrolet trucks, as well as a number of big rigs and buses:
Yes, Cummins engines are also built in China, where the company has 5 factories:
However, that shouldn’t necessarily worry you that Ram or any other US company is using Cummins engines built in China. Cummins needed those factories to support the Chinese market, which made up 40% of their engine sales in 2019.
Cummins generally sells the product in the country where it’s built, rather than outsourcing work and selling in other countries.
Diesel engines are more efficient, produce more torque, consume less fuel, and are more durable than petrol engines. Cummins, next to Toyota, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz is one of the best diesel-engine manufacturers in the world.
This point is especially true in work vehicles such as medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, vans, buses, and other service vehicles.
Caterpillar or CAT for short does not own Cummins, and Cummins does not own Caterpillar. Caterpillar is known to manufacture its own engines, but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that a Caterpillar machine used a Cummins engine. Apart from that, there is no connection between the two companies.
I’m going to guess that you’re asking about Cummins diesel engines in pickup trucks – those engines most commonly have 8 cylinders (V8) but there are also some engines with six cylinders (Inline-6).
Cummins as a company creates a massive variety of engine sizes and cylinder numbers, from Inline-4 to 95-liter V16 or 78-liter V18.
Freightliner takes full advantage of Cummins’ high-quality diesel engines and installs them in the Cascadia, Coronado, and 122SD lines of vehicles.
Yes, Kenworth uses Cummins engines in a number of their vehicles, including the T680 Next-Generation on-highway flagship, powered by Cummins Westport ISX12N near-zero-emissions natural gas engine.
Duramax or DMAX Ltd. is primarily owned by General Motors at a 60% ownership stake, with the remaining 40% owned by Isuzu Diesel Service of America Inc.
The answer to the question: “Who owns Cummins?” is simple – it’s Cummins itself. Vehicles built from start to finish by just one manufacturer are becoming a rarity, as most manufacturers team up, or source their engines from Cummins to complete their vehicles.
