Volvo Trucks

Volvo Trucks (sv: Volvo Lastvagnar), a Swedish truck manufacturer, owned by Volvo, is the World's second largest heavy-duty truck brand. Founded in 1927, in 2006 Volvo Trucks employed about 35,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, Volvo manufactures its trucks in 17 countries. In 2005, 103,696 Volvo trucks were sold globally.

Volvo Group also owns the following truck makes, Renault Trucks, Mack Trucks & UD Trucks.

History

When Volvo manufactured its first automobiles in 1927, the first truck was already on the drawing table and in early 1928, the LV series 1 was presented to the public. Though it, by modern standards, was merely a truck, it was an immediate success and 500 units were sold before the summer. It had a 2.0 L 4-cylinder engine rated at 28 hp (21 kW).

Volvo Trucks Worldwide

Volvo cabs are manufactured in the north of Sweden in Umeå, while the engines are made in the central town of Skövde. Among some smaller facilities Volvo has assembly plants in Sweden (Gothenburg - also the Head Office), Belgium, USA, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, China, India and Russia, making it a truly global producer. Some of the smaller factories are jointly owned. Its main parts distribution centre is located in Gent Belgium. The sales side is split into 3 divisions - European, North American and International, which covers the rest of the world. The offices and dealers are set up worldwide in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea

North America

In 1980 Volvo bought White after White's bankruptcy filing. The Canadian assets were purchased by a consortium of two Alberta energy companies, and were renamed Western Star Trucks.

Throughout the 1980s, Volvo produced White and Autocar, as well as distributing European-made Volvo. The White high cabover engine model was also badged a Western Star and sold through that company's Canadian dealer network.

In 1987, Volvo acquired the heavy-duty truck models of General Motors, and began marketing the WhiteGMC badge, although all of the legacy GMC product lines were discontinued by 1990.

In 1997 the WhiteGMC name was discontinued, and all models were badged either Volvo or Autocar. In 2000, the remaining Autocar products were discontinued, and the nameplate was retired (temporarily) after over 100 years.

In 2001 Volvo acquired Renault Vehicules Industriels, including Mack Trucks in the United States. In order to secure the approval of the authorities to proceed with the merger, Volvo had to agree to divest of its low-cab-forward (LCF) models, known as the Xpeditor range, due to the degree the combination of this product with the Mack MR and LE series dominated the refuse markets in which these vehicles are predominantly used.

In 2001, Volvo divested of the Xpeditor product and the rights to the Autocar trademark. The purchaser was Grand Vehicle Works LLC, a private equity venture based in Indiana that also produced stripped chassis for vans and recreational vehicles, and walk-in van bodies for parcel delivery service.

Today, Volvo produces Volvo and Mack class 8 truck models at plants in Dublin, VA, and Macungie, PA. Affiliate Volvo Powertrain produces engines and transmissions at its Hagerstown, MD, facility, for use exclusively in the North American market.