The Freightliner Business Class M2, usually shortened to M2, is a range of medium-duty trucks produced since the 2003 model year. It was the first Business Class developed entirely by Freightliner, replacing the FL-Series of 1991, and it is the smallest conventional-cab Freightliner truck, slotted between the Sprinter vans and the Cascadia highway tractors.
Freightliner M2 at a glance
| Type | Class 5 to Class 8 medium-duty truck range |
|---|---|
| Production | 2003–2023 (first generation) |
| Predecessor | Freightliner FL-Series |
| Assembly | Mount Holly, North Carolina; Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico since 2003 |
| Development cost | $250 million |
| First models | M2 106 (2003), M2 100 and M2 112 |
| Cab configurations | day cab, two-door extended cab, four-door crew cab |
| Early engines | Mercedes-Benz MBE900, Caterpillar option; MBE4000 in the M2 112 |
| Later engines | Cummins only, then Detroit DD5 from 2017 |
| Hybrid | parallel diesel-electric from 2008 |
| Natural gas | M2 112 NG, 2009 |
| Second generation | M2 Plus, 2024 |
based on one source
History of the Freightliner M2
First generation (2003–2023)
Following a $250 million development programme, the M2 was introduced at the beginning of 2002 and phased in from 2003 production as the replacement for the FL-Series. The Mount Holly plant in North Carolina was extensively rebuilt for the new model, with more automated assembly and greater capacity. Unlike the FL-Series, which had adapted a Mercedes-Benz low-cab cabover to a conventional cab, the M2 was developed within North America. The M2 106 replaced the Class 5–8 FL50–80, the M2 100 arrived during 2003 as the smallest version, and the M2 112 replaced the FL112. All three came with a standard day cab, a two-door extended cab or a four-door crew cab, and the 112 was sold both as a straight truck and as a semitractor.
Engines and alternative fuels
The M2 100 and 106 started with Mercedes-Benz MBE900 diesels, the 106 offering Caterpillar engines as an option, while the M2 112 used the larger MBE4000 in a version with a taller grille and flatter hood. When Caterpillar and Mercedes-Benz left on-highway diesel production in North America, the range moved to Cummins engines, and for 2017 the M2 106 gained the Detroit DD5 four-cylinder turbodiesel derived from the Mercedes-Benz OM936. In 2006 Freightliner built its first parallel diesel-electric hybrid on an M2 106, with an electric motor in the driveline and a Mercedes MBE906 diesel for supplementary torque; the hybrid went on sale in 2008 and the 1,000th was built in 2011. A compressed natural gas M2 112 NG with a Cummins ISL-G followed in 2009, and in 2018 the electric eM2 prototype appeared, with a range of 230 miles.
M2 Plus (2024–present)
Announced in late 2022 for 2024, the second generation, called M2 Plus, brought the biggest changes since 2002. It looks close to the first generation but has projector headlamps, a larger hood vent and a restyled grille in the slatted style of the facelifted Cascadia. The cab structure is shared, but the interior was completely redesigned around a largely digital instrument panel, steering-wheel controls and extra auxiliary switches, and active brake assist and lane departure warning became standard. The electric eM2 entered full production in 2023 as a variant of the Plus, in a single-motor Class 6 form with 180 miles of range and a dual-motor Class 7 form with 250 miles.
Design and features
- Wide range: one cab family covers Class 5 to Class 8, as box truck, flatbed, tow truck or vocational chassis.
- Jellybean headlamps: the rounded lights, tall windshield and near-vertical grille identify the model.
- Bus derivatives: cowled-chassis and cutaway-cab versions are built for bus bodies.
- Many drivelines: diesel, parallel hybrid, compressed natural gas and battery-electric.
Freightliner M2 versions
- M2 100: the smallest M2, Class 5, added in 2003.
- M2 106: the main version, named for its 106-inch BBC length.
- M2 112: Class 8 version replacing the FL112, sold as a straight truck and tractor.
- M2 106V / 112V: vocational versions introduced in 2004.
- M2 hybrid and 112 NG: diesel-electric and natural gas versions.
- eM2: battery-electric Class 5 box truck, in production since 2023.
The M2 replaced the FL-Series and supplies the chassis of the C2 school bus, while the Cascadia sits above it in the range. More trucks are in the Freightliner collection.
Sources
- Freightliner Business Class M2, English Wikipedia: development, versions, engines, M2 Plus
