DUBLIN, Va. — Volvo Trucks North America has officially started series production of the all-new Volvo VNL — a completely reimagined Class 8 truck.
“We are excited to be rolling out the all-new Volvo VNL to our valued dealer partners and can’t wait for our customers to receive them into their operations to experience the future of trucking today,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “This truck was designed to change everything and represents Volvo Trucks’ dedication to innovation by combining state-of-the-art technology with unparalleled fuel efficiency, driver comfort, and safety. The all-new Volvo VNL has already set a new standard in the trucking industry, and it will provide tremendous value to our customers’ operations.”
According to a company press release, the new series is being assembled at the New River Valley Assembly Plant, the Volvo Group’s largest assembly facility in the world at over 2.3 million square-feet sits on 566 acres in Dublin, Va.. The commercial launch of the all-new Volvo VNL also serves as a christening of the state-of-the-art cab plant, part of a $400 million dollar investment by the Volvo Group in North America, underscoring Volvo’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and excellence in the transportation industry’s future.
“Throughout the summer, more than 1,800 customers, dealers and sales staff participated in immersive events at the Volvo Trucks Customer Center, gaining hands-on experience with the all-new Volvo VNL,” the company said. “The truck brings industry-first packaging to simplify the spec’ing process for customers and dealers and ensures fleets are getting the maximum value available in the Volvo Trucks portfolio. Additionally, dealers’ service representatives have access to extensive competency development through e-learning and in-person, instructor-led courses from the Volvo Trucks Academy, ensuring they are fully equipped to support the all-new Volvo VNL when it arrives at dealerships. In conjunction with series production start, over 400 all-new Volvo VNLs will start arriving at dealership locations across North America, providing customers with opportunities to get behind the wheel for a test drive and experience a new level of driver comfort, equipped with state-of-the-art connectivity and safety.”
The release noted that the Volvo VNL features four exterior and interior trim levels — Core, Edge, Edge Black, and Ultimate — with six cab configurations, each designed to fit customers’ preferences, brand identity, and operational needs. The initial 400 trucks will include both sleepers and day cab models, offering a variety of packages, trim levels and powertrain offerings to give customers a first-hand experience to determine the best fit for their operations. The trucks boast a wide array of innovative features, including advanced aerodynamics for improved fuel efficiency and safety technologies like collision avoidance systems and best-in-class connectivity solutions. Designed with superior driver comfort in mind, the truck features ergonomic seating, advanced climate control, and noise reduction features.
“Volvo Trucks North America remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries and setting new standards in trucking technology.,” the company said. “The all-new Volvo VNL models are a testament to the commitment to providing the best possible solutions for customers.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
High degree of self-driving ability
Together with the American tech company Aurora, which was founded by people from Google, Tesla and Uber, a production-ready truck is now being launched where the driver can entrust the entire driving to the autonomous systems – level 4 out of 5 of self-driving capability. Level 4 means precisely that the vehicle can drive completely by itself without the help of a human driver. But in the VNL truck there will be a driver who can take over the controls. Level 5 of self-driving capability is that the vehicle can always and under all circumstances drive without the help of humans.