Volvo Trucks North America has introduced a completely reimagined Class 8 Volvo VNL. The all-new Volvo VNL has been reengineered from the ground up by its U.S. team over six years of research and product development. Tailored to address the challenges of the North American freight transport sector, the all-new Volvo VNL features many next-generation enhancements to drive productivity, safety, profitability, and sustainability.
With a substantial investment of $400 million, Volvo Trucks has built a state-of-the-art cab plant for the all-new Volvo VNL next to its New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia, creating new jobs and underlining its commitment to heavy-duty trucking.
“The all-new Volvo VNL was designed to change everything. However, change doesn’t only come with a redesigned truck — this product introduction is the start of a new era for Volvo Trucks, our customers, and their drivers — a quantum leap forward,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America.
“We started this project with a blank sheet of paper and thoroughly analysed the trends and transformations that will impact the industry and our customers’ needs, including the sustainability and transportation demands of the future. When we launched the Volvo VN in 1996, its ‘unconventional’ aerodynamic body style set a new standard for the North American trucking industry. We did the unthinkable in 2007 when introducing the Volvo I-Shift and spurred the industry’s transition toward automated manual transmissions. As we bring the all-new Volvo VNL to market, we are excited to introduce once again innovations that will shape the future of the transportation industry for years to come.”
The new Volvo VNL features striking aerodynamics and is engineered to achieve a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 10%, which enables fleets to achieve considerable emission and CO2 reductions. As Volvo Trucks works toward its goal of 100% sales of zero-emission vehicles by 2040, the new Volvo VNL will be the platform for all upcoming technologies, including battery-electric, fuel cell, and internal combustion engines running on renewable fuels, including hydrogen.
To achieve its impressive fuel efficiency improvements, the new Volvo VNL features a redefined aerodynamic design, including a wedge-shaped cab and a dramatically reshaped windsscren. Pivotal aerodynamic improvement features also include tighter clearances around areas such as wheel openings, the bumper, and the bonnet, paired with optimised chassis fairings and a reduced back of cab-to-trailer gap.
Volvo Trucks has also transformed the spec’ing process for the new Volvo VNL series by introducing packaging options for interior and exterior, powertrain, and safety, an industry first that simplifies and optimises the configuration and ordering process and streamlines the assembly operations. A new online configurator tool facilitates an interactive exploration of the Volvo VNL features, aiding customers in designing their ideal trucks. Dealer sales will begin in the coming months.
