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Apparently a third party is going to assemble knocked down (KD) truck kits. Based on UD, RVI, Volvo or Dongfeng....I don't know.

NRV and Macungie have no capacity, so a third party will assemble. I myself would have called Spartan.

I have zero optimism on the product because it's not being handled correctly.

With what is now a very crowded market segment, and Mack brand dealers who have long ago all taken on Japanese franchises because Volvo offered them nothing, what's the point?

Nobody at Volvo North America has expertise in such an endeavor.

They're far too late to come to the party now.

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Even if anything comes out of this with a Mack logo, a lot more resources will be put into one with a Volvo logo version. I work next to a busy corridor of I-87 just a few miles from the George Washington Bridge and often make a mental note of the many more newer Volvos I see on that route than I see Macks. It always makes me feel good when ever I see a Mack especially an older one with a real Mack engine humming along.

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4 hours ago, kscarbel2 said:

Apparently a third party is going to assemble knocked down (KD) truck kits. Based on UD, RVI, Volvo or Dongfeng....I don't know.

Here in Australia, The UD Brand is basically DEAD & BURIED Since the Volvo Takeover..

The Poor old Utterly Dependable is a Mere shadow of It's Pre Volvo Days.. sad to see..

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"Be who you are and say what you feel...
Because those that matter...
don't mind...
And those that mind....
don't matter." -

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They're too late to attend a now crowded party.

Look at it this way, in the North American market, could they possibly and meaningfully compete in the medium-duty segment? Could they possibly compete with Freughtliner (Daimler) and Navistar in the mid- and high-end medium segment? Could they possibly compete with Ford in the low-end medium segment? The answer is no......so what's the point of such an exercise. Just speaking candidly.

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1 hour ago, Hayseed said:

Just out of Curiosity, What sort of Market Share does  Hino, & Isuzu have. In this segment in NA..??

HIno is aggressively growing, and Isuzu has a solid reputation.

Hino already reached Class 7, and now has the Class 7/8 XL series.

And put the upcoming Class 7/8 Chevrolet/Navistar truck on your calendar (the MV/DuraStar replacement).

Isuzu entered Class 6 with the FTR. Chevrolet sells the same truck as the 6500XD, and rebadged versions of the smaller Isuzu's as well. Huge footprint between Isuzu and Chevrolet.

And then, for the customers who want a conventional, in addition to Ford and Dodge (Ram), you have Chevrolet and Navistar selling Class 4, 5 and 6 versions of their new conventional bonneted truck.

I expect Dodge to add a Class 6 6500 any time now. It's a no-brainer.

And though limited to Classes 3, 4 and 5, Fuso is in the game as well.

So in Classes 3 thru 6, to say the least, the market is overly crowded with brands and product, meaning the trucks will be discounted in order to move them which kills reasonable profitability. So there's no point in Volvo jumping in the pool now.....it's already too crowded as is. Volvo pulled the plug on Mack medium product in 2003 (and North American UD sales in 2012) and never looked back. Mack brand distributors one-by-one took on one or more Japanese brands and Volvo didn't care. Do you think any Mack brand dealer is going to abandon their Hino or Isuzu franchise for Volvo's endeavor? Not.

http://www.hino.com/hino-trucks.html

https://www.isuzucv.com/en/isuzutrucks

https://www.chevrolet.com/commercial/low-cab-forward-cab-over-truck

https://www.mitfuso.com/en-us/models

https://www.chevrolet.com/commercial/silverado-chassis-cab

https://www.internationaltrucks.com/trucks/cv-series

https://www.ford.com/new-commercial-trucks/

https://www.ramtrucks.com/ram-commercial/index.html#

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KsCarbel2 lays out a pretty good argument, I'd agree. If Volvo wanted medium duty they'd just buy a medium duty company to to get into the market. I doubt they'd put any substantial effort into building the Mack brand. I assume they'd do it with their own name, unless they don't want bad PR for a shoddy roll-out.

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On 2/22/2019 at 4:59 PM, kscarbel2 said:

Apparently a third party is going to assemble knocked down (KD) truck kits. Based on UD, RVI, Volvo or Dongfeng....I don't know.

Why not just bring them in as C.B.U. instead of Kits...???

Or does Donald's tariff policy make the Kits cost effective..:idunno:

"Be who you are and say what you feel...
Because those that matter...
don't mind...
And those that mind....
don't matter." -

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Never drove one, never owned one, but it seems that at one time Mack dealers sold a lot of cabover medium duty trucks, built by RVI. They were a good truck, you said so yourself Kscarbel. So maybe some Mack dealers finally got Volvo to think about bringing back a RVI medium duty cab over truck. For sure it is a small market, but if it is the Model D, who knows. RVI builds a good truck. Maybe if Barry is watching these posts he could add something from a dealer standpoint.  

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2 hours ago, TS7 said:

Never drove one, never owned one, but it seems that at one time Mack dealers sold a lot of cabover medium duty trucks, built by RVI. They were a good truck, you said so yourself Kscarbel. So maybe some Mack dealers finally got Volvo to think about bringing back a RVI medium duty cab over truck. For sure it is a small market, but if it is the Model D, who knows. RVI builds a good truck. Maybe if Barry is watching these posts he could add something from a dealer standpoint.  

The Mack Mid-Liner was a fantastic product for both Mack Trucks Inc. and its distributor network. Period.

What I'm saying is the North American playing field has entirely changed from year 1979 to today year 2019. It's so full with brands and product, particularly due to new models over the last couple years, supply exceeds demand. As a result, profitability is evaporating as go after sales.

RVi does build a good truck (Range D, ect.). But Volvo might hesitate to offer a new U.S. medium with the same DAF-built cab as the DAF LF sold by Kenworth and Peterbilt as the K270/K370 and Model 220. Volvo could set itself apart with a UD cab, it would have a lower cost basis over an RVI KD kit, and as you said UD needs the business (or else admit failure and close the doors). And as much as I like Renault, the Range D's front fascia is unattractive.

https://www.kenworth.com/trucks/k270-k370/

https://www.peterbilt.com/trucks/medium-duty/model-220

.

 

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5 hours ago, Hayseed said:

Why not just bring them in as C.B.U. instead of Kits...???

Or does Donald's tariff policy make the Kits cost effective..:idunno:

My understanding is, under 26 U.S. Code § 4501, the truckmaker pays 12% tax on the first imported truck (CBU - completely built unit), and then the distributors (dealers) pay a 12% tax on each truck they sell. However, there is an exclusion for truck chassis with GVMs of 33,000lb or less.

In the Mid-LIner days, we imported CBUs which arrived via the Port of Wilmington, Delaware.

Penske and Ryder truck rentals loved them, and their trade-ins created a terrific second-hand truck market.

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It's is going to be a class 7 truck. The Granite MHD is too heavy and too expensive for most class 7 market and some municipal fleets as examples. Back in the fall, A conventional test truck  visited the ex test center for big wigs to have a look at under wraps. It's a Mack product, will not be Volvo branded from what I'm hearing.  Probably a nice light frame with Cummins power (Not sure of what smaller then MP7 Volvo has to offer for this truck) 

There is a market for the baby 8....it was just not thought out, engineered and marketed properly. Freightliner, Paccar and Navistar have been doing well in the class 7 and below market. The class 7 cabover market is too small these days.

Back in the 80s I believe Mack had over 50% of this market.

It will probably resemble the AUS  Metro-liner.

 

 

Edited by bbigrig
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Kscarbel you are right about the size of the market, but a good truck might sell. But what bbigrig says it is not a cabover. I have always thought that a Mack conventional class 7 truck would sell. Maybe they are going to do both? After watching the Range D video, I still think it is a good truck. Everyday is a new day, maybe somebody at Mack is pushing some new ideas?

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