The North American product line of Volvo got a makeover. The old VN, which was launched in 1996, needed to be modernized. The new Volvo meets the needs of the long-haul trucking customers and professional drivers.

Before the revealing of the truck Nyberg, President of Volvo Truck North America, stated: “Twenty years ago, we turned the industry upside down. We created a new commercial truck standard for aerodynamics, driver comfort, and safety. Since then, our competitors have been happy to benchmark everything we have been doing and they have slowly chipped away at our leadership position. In a few cases, I have to admit, we have lost the edge in areas where we stood head and shoulders above the competition. Well, that ends tonight. You’re about to see the most innovative, exciting new trucks from Volvo in 20 years.”

The new Volvo VNL is striving to be the most comfortable and safest long-haul truck on the marketplace. As for the design, The VNL is an upgrade in every way. “We relied on feedback from nearly 2,000 driver interviews to make sure the changes we were making aligned with drivers’ needs,” said Volvo Trucks product marketing manager, Jason Spence.

The new Volvo has a lot new features and comes with an all-new dashboard, because of that the often-used controls are within the drivers reach. It also has a driver information display which provides diagnostic and trip data. The series also provides you with an optional ‘’infotainment’’ system which has a navigation, exterior back-up camera and a seven-inch color touchscreen.

The designer team has put a lot of thought into the four sleeper cab. The drivers are provided with a comfortable place to rest and it also offers a lot of space-saving options. The sleeper control panel allows drivers to control the audio system and the cooling and heating. Furthermore, the doors can be locked and, if needed, a panic alarm can be activated.

All the series come with a standard Volvo’s I-Shift automated manual transmission, which has a full array of sensors. The sensors can detect grade, speed and load.

“Volvo Trucks built its reputation as the safest truck on the road by integrating a number of passive and active safety systems. “We’ve continued that in the new VNL series with several upgrades to make the truck even safer,” Long said.

The North American technology center in Greensboro designed all the Volvo VNL series. The series will be built in Dublin, at the Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant.