Huge interest in the new Volvo truck
The truck stunt, when a young woman walks a slackline between two Volvo FH trucks driving at full speed, has been a huge success. Over the past few weeks, 5.5 million people have seen the film on youtube.
“A truck that will carry us far into the future.” That is how Claes Nilsson, President of Volvo Trucks, summarises the new versions of the Volvo FH and Volvo FH16 that will be released shortly.
On Wednesday September 5, Volvo Trucks launched new versions of the best-selling Volvo FH and the prestigious Volvo FH16.
“For almost two decades, the Volvo FH Series has provided haulage companies with safety, efficient transport and high quality. With our new replacements, we are going to be even better in all three areas,” says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Truck Corporation.
Setting a new standard
Never before has Volvo conducted so many tests among drivers and haulage firms with the aim of ensuring that the new model meets the highest requirements. The result is a product that not only meets today’s needs, it also offers properties that nobody has previously experienced in a truck.
“It really is our customers who have influenced the end-product, and I’m convinced that we’re setting a new benchmark for the entire truck industry,” says Claes Nilsson.
One prioritised goal in the development process was to create a truck with the market’s best handling. Several structural improvements give the new Volvo FH series a stable and flexible design, something that can be seen in a film entitled “The Ballerina Stunt” on www.volvotrucks.com/fh where slackline walker Faith Dickey walks the tightrope between two trucks travelling at 80 km/h.
Huge success on youtube
A couple of weeks has passed since the film was published on youtube and reactions in both traditional and social media have been extremely powerful. The film has been praised and mentioned in such as CNN, CBS News, Good Morning America, ABC News, RTL, The Today Show, the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post. On youtube the film has been viewed more than 5.5 million times.
“The film is made as a teaser to show the amazing driving dynamics the new truck has. This film made it possible for us to reach out to a very broad audience,” says Per Nilsson, Director of Public Relations at Volvo Trucks.
“Revolutionary” front suspension
With the new Volvo FH series comes a new Individual Front Suspension (IFS) system for heavy trucks with left-hand drive.
“The Volvo FH without IFS will be number one on the market, but IFS is all set to revolutionise handling in the truck world. The Volvo FH with IFS will have the world’s best road manners,” says Martin Palming.
Individual front suspension means that each front wheel is suspended separately from the other so it does not affect the movement of the other wheel. Since both front wheels move individually, the result is gentler, more settled progress on the road. Thanks to the fact that movements are not transmitted from one wheel to the other, the sense of precision and control also increases.
Interest in the new truck is immense. For obvious reasons, according to Claes Nilsson:
“For more than 15 years now the Volvo FH has been a reliable growth engine for both Volvo Trucks and haulage companies the world over. The new Volvo FH will play the same significant role. It’s an innovative truck that puts the driver in firm focus while at the same time allowing haulage firms to do the best business possible. It’s a truck that’s going to carry us far into the future.”
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