Why did IC drop out of the type D market if BB and Thomas seem to be prospering?
The IC FE was discontinued in 2010 and the RE was discontinued in 2024. I know Navistar always have claimed it to be a market speculation thing, saying that the shrinking type D market isn’t the worth the production costs nor the R&D of contracting/fitting a new engine to meet emissions, but Thomas and bluebird have prevailed with producing both front and rear engine type D’s seemingly since the start of time.
I just feel like the RE has failed in popularity for the past decade. Type D fleets are really rare in the southeast PA region, but the few I have seen all have exclusively Bluebird or Thomas buses. I think I have seen about 3 RE’s my entire life and never have I ever seen an FE. So, what do you guys think sealed the fate of international type D’s?