When Freightliner Walked Volvo on a Leash – the US Market N10

[kscarbel2]

Volvo entered the U.S. market some 38 years in 1974. They signed a few dealers and introduced the F86(US). But they didn’t understand the U.S. market and their launch failed miserably.

In 1978, a frustrated Volvo decided to try again. Volvo signed an agreement with Freightliner Corporation under which the American truckmaker became the exclusive importer and distributor of Volvo trucks in the U.S. market. At the same time, the N10(US) conventional was added, and the F6 and F7 replaced the obsolete F86.

The N10 was introduced to the global market in 1973, and updated in 1989 resulting in the NL10.

The heart of the Volvo N10 conventional was the 9.6 liter (586 cu.in.) TD100C (later renamed D10) rated at 253 horsepower and 671 lb/ft of torque. It was paired with a Volvo model R63 eight-speed direct drive transmission.

U.S. sales began in the 1979 model year. American customers didn't care for the small interior cab dimensions, and the engine was considered underpowered.

Freightliner's agreement to distribute Volvo trucks in the U.S. market was a savvy move by the truckmaker, providing its dealers for the first time with a complete product range from medium to heavy with which to compete in every market segment.

But just as Volvo began to penetrate the U.S. market under the experienced hand of Freightliner, the arrangement ended in May 1981 when Consolidated Freightways sold its Freightliner truck manufacturing unit to Daimler, thus cancelling the Freightliner/Volvo agreement.

In August 1981, Volvo purchased the assets of White Motor Company (with the exception of the Cleveland, Ohio plant due to its age and large pension fund liability) to regain a U.S. sales network (White had gone into bankruptcy in September, 1980). Volvo's new U.S. business unit was called Volvo White Truck Corporation and based in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In an attempt to address N10 low power criticism, Volvo White Truck Corporation in 1984 introduced the intercooled 12.1-liter (742 cu.in.) TD120 (later renamed D12) powered N12 in the U.S. market rated at 325 horsepower, and sold it thru 1986.

I believe that March 1987 was the last build date for U.S. market N10s.

Still making no headway (or profit), Volvo purchased a majority stake in General Motor's heavy truck division (GMC) in 1987 to form the Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp. joint venture and the WHITEGMC brand.

GM sold its minority stake in the JV in 1997, and Volvo GM Heavy Truck evolved into Volvo Trucks North America.

These acquisitions by the Germans and the Swedes marked the beginning of their battle for dominance in the North American market, and the decline of the U.S. truckmakers.

Today in year 2013, as a result of a flagging desire to dominate in our own truck market, the majority of heavy trucks on America's roads today are produced by foreign companies.

Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/30397-when-freightliner-ran-volvo-in-america/

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[kscarbel2]

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[kscarbel2]

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[mackdaddy]

Nice stuff......thanks for sharing.

[41chevy]

Always had an interest of that unit. Thanks for the posts. Paul

[29Bowtie]

Interesting reading, and history.

[BC Mack]

KSC

if the Volvo L4591 Titan Tiptop (photo in old thread) had entered the US market successfully in 1964 one wonders what would could have been...!!!!... it certainly changed the UK and Europe markets, some would say it dominated and maybe the descendant FH still does.

we had a great expression for the F86 operating at 32ton gross... "wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding", a gutless beast only matched by the Scania 80, but it was very light and had a great payload capacity that made a few companies a lot of money.

BC Mack

[Lmackattack]

I remember seeing a N model Volvo running around northern IL. Was a tractor hauling a end dump. That thing was always holding up traffic.

Seams a lot of bean counters like the Volvo brand. I was working for my former employer last week at a race track. Seams. 70% of the race haulers were late model Volvo sleeper cabs. Very few American made trucks were in the paddock

[kscarbel2]

KSC

if the Volvo L4591 Titan Tiptop (photo in old thread) had entered the US market successfully in 1964 one wonders what would could have been...!!!!... it certainly changed the UK and Europe markets, some would say it dominated and maybe the descendant FH still does.

we had a great expression for the F86 operating at 32ton gross... "wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding", a gutless beast only matched by the Scania 80, but it was very light and had a great payload capacity that made a few companies a lot of money.

BC Mack

The Titan Tiptop was inspired by the US market, but far from a success, the effort never got off the ground. And back then, the Volvo drivetrain was immature.

When Volvo first came over and would sign near anyone willing to take the franchise, they never sold many F86US in the US.

But when Freightliner came into the picture, a trusted name, the F6 and F7 began to sell. But Volvo was always behind Mack's Mid-Liner range, which by the mid eighties had become the most popular medium truck (COE) in the U.S. market.

I was thinking about you the other day when someone brought up the Seddon Atkinson 400 series......good truck in its day.

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[RoadwayR]

It seemed to me the N10 was dropped to make way for the GMC Brigadier when it became part of the White/GMC line.

[kscarbel2]

It seemed to me the N10 was dropped to make way for the GMC Brigadier when it became part of the White/GMC line.

As I recall, 1987 was the last year the Brigadier was built solely by GM and badged as a GMC.

In 1988, the last year, the fleet favorite Brigadier was still built by GM in Pontiac but was marketed by the Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp joint venture for that one year, and badged WhiteGMC.

Then it was effectively replaced by the horrible (my opinion) decontented White-based WG in 1989, which had been introduced in 1988.

I personally believe that the only reason Volvo agreed to sell the Brigadier in 1988 is because there was a lot of pressure from fleets.

There were a few Brigadiers titled as 1989 models, but I suspect they were produced in late 1988.

The WG was cheap, in EVERY sense of the word. But when the recession hit in the early nineties, a lot of fleets that had always purchased quality (Mack) rather than cheap trucks, such as Harwood Cochrane's Overnite Transportation, decided that cheap was suddenly right for them. So after a slow start, and blessed by the recession, the clumsy WG finally took off.

The N10 never competed with the Brigadier. Brigadiers ran 290 to 350 horsepower engines, while the N10 was limited in LTL on-road applications at 253hp. And the Brigadier was a bargain for what you got, a favorite with fleet accountants.

The N10 never sold well, not at all, but Volvo kept on hoping until they finally gave up. The Volvo Swedes absolutely hate admitting anytime they're wrong.

[RoadwayR]

I heard Brigadiers were built by GMC at their old Pontiac heavy truck plant until it closed in 1989. They were built alongside the earlier Cat 3208 powered Topkicks (and Kodiaks). When the new '530' series Topkick/Kodiak came out in late 1989 production moved to Janesville, WI.. The Brig. was indeed a very popular truck with a lot of fleets, particularly auto transporters. Agreed the WG was a cheap truck!

I remember one fleet in Southern California had a few N-10's. That was all I ever saw of those trucks.

[david wild]

We had a N10, little underpowered but nice driving truck, had a pedal to push to make engine brake come, if you gave it fuel and pushed the engine brake you could stop traffic, made tremendous amounts of thick smoke and stopped all traffic behind you. Obama would eat his shorts if he saw that. just that feature alone made it fun to drive.

[BC Mack]

The Titan Tiptop was inspired by the US market, but far from a success, the effort never got off the ground. And back then, the Volvo drivetrain was immature.

When Volvo first came over and would sign near anyone willing to take the franchise, they never sold many F86US in the US.

But when Freightliner came into the picture, a trusted name, the F6 and F7 began to sell. But Volvo was always behind Mack's Mid-Liner range, which by the mid eighties had become the most popular medium truck (COE) in the U.S. market.

I was thinking about you the other day when someone brought up the Seddon Atkinson 400 series......good truck in its day.

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The tiptop was never seriously manufactured but became the F88 and F89, but with either 240 or 325hp it wasn't going to do too well over his side of the pond... it was the first of the era's mass produced trucks with a fully syncromesh gearbox, up to 16 speed, I found them very easy to drive and by 75/6 the 290hp UK special was in those days a "rocket ship" after an Atkinson Borderer with a Gardner...!!!

Volvo was a keen participant in the "club cab" with their F6/7 and Renault/Mack it did make a big dent into the American market.

S/A 400, and later varients, was in my opinion a well designed truck, not hard to fix, Motor Panels made a great cab, 335 Cummins was available but most settled for 250hp Cummins and a 9509A.. it made the boss money... the old discussion of the british motor industry could ensue, but everything was against the industry and the europeans won.

BC Mack