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Volvo makes an emotional appeal to US
Page 8
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VOLVO BELIEVES its new VT880 tractor unithas the emotional appeal that its VN range lacks,and it's depending on the debutante to win it a significant share of the all-important American owner-driver market.
The American-built tractor, launched in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this month,certainly has all the bling demanded by our American cousins — plenty of chrome, a big sleeper cab, long nose.more horse power than you could ever need and a liberal sprinkling of orange side lights.
Under the huge hood sits a choice of engines: the popular Cummins ISX or Volvo's own 16litre D16.
The latter is offered with four ratings from 500hp to no less than 625hp — 15hp more than its European flagship, the FH16. This equates to 3,050Nm of torque, which is apparently enough to pull a fully freighted 36-tonner up a 3% gradient at a steady 65mph.
Although Volvo's engines are improving in popularity and now appear in 50% of its American trucks, so far its transmissions have yet to make it across the Atlantic. The VT880 is offered vvith the Eaton 10,13 or 18-speed manual box or the 10/18-speed auto version.
As for the cab, the VT offers a 1.95m raised roof and 14.72m of living space,The options list is vast, and yes, it does include the proverbial kitchen sink for an asking price of $120,000-140,000 (£65,000-75,000).
The VT seems to have all the qualities that appeal to America's 155,000 owner-drivers; time will tell if this bonneted Swede will tempt them away from the likes of Kenworth and Peterbilt.