Volvo Trucks North America has announced that production of the 300,000th Volvo Group 13-liter heavy-duty diesel engine was celebrated on July 15 during an event in Hagerstown, MD, that recognized “both the North American team that assembled it and the customer who will put it into service.”
Production of these engines began in Skövde, Sweden, in 2005, and today they are also assembled in Curitiba, Brazil, as well as at the Hagerstown plant. (Read more Volvo news from FleetOwner)
The 300,000th Volvo 13-liter-- a 500-hp D13 engine-- was recently assembled at the Volvo Powertrain plant in Hagerstown, and placed in a new Volvo VN780 chassis at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley assembly plant. The completed truck was delivered back to Hagerstown and presented to its new owner , Abilene Motor Express of Richmond VA, during the recognition event.
“We are happy and humbled to have assembled the 300,000th Volvo 13-liter engine here in Hagerstown,” said Carlos Hungria, senior vp & COO of Volvo Powertrain. “This is a significant global occasion that solidifies the longevity and reliability of the engines powering Volvo Group products throughout the world. We’re particularly pleased that our 300,000th is an EPA 2010-certified D13 engine that meets the most stringent emissions standards in the world.”
Denny Slagle, president & CEO of Volvo Trucks North America, said the milestone sends an important message to the industry about the size, stability, and performance of Volvo Group. “As one of the world’s largest producers of heavy-duty diesel engines, we’ve made the investments – both globally and here in Hagerstown – to ensure we remain on the leading edge of powertrain development and production,” said Slagle. “The fact that we were the first certified to the EPA10 standards, and were ready early enough to begin filling orders last fall, is a testament to our powertrain expertise.”
During the ceremony, Slagle presented the milestone vehicle’s keys to Abilene’s president, Keith Jones, who has been operating Volvo vehicles since 1999. Abilene’s Class 8 fleet includes 140 VN780s, with more than 50 EPA10 versions either already in service or soon to be so.
“Once we switched to Volvo engines and discovered their durability and fuel efficiency, we never looked back,” said Jones. “The Volvo EPA10 units are already delivering the best fuel economy in the fleet – just north of 7 miles per gallon – even though they are still in the break-in phase.”
Jones noted that his drivers enjoy the ride, roominess, visibility, maneuverability and safety of Volvo trucks. “They prefer the performance and pulling power of the Volvo engine,” he added.. “They are especially impressed with the Volvo engine and I-Shift combination.”
