Volvo Trucks said it achieved record Class 8 sales in North America of 30,930 units in 2015, with its retail market share reaching 12.4% as a result, according to WardsAuto data – an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2014.
Volvo added that it reached a record 12.2% NAFTA market share (36,940 vehicles) compared with 11.9% (32,281) in 2014.
Volvo market share in Mexico topped 4.9% and 16.3% (4,884 vehicles) in Canada last year, according to data compiled by the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, IHS Automotive and WardsAuto.
The OEM noted that its proprietary Volvo engines were spec’d in a record 93% of the trucks sold in North America last year, with its I-Shift automated manual transmission (AMT) spec’d in 83%.
Volvo added that over 27% of all the commercial trucks it sold in 2015 featured an XE package aimed at generating increased fuel economy.
Offered for Volvo’s 11-liter D11, 13-liter D13 and 16-liter D16 engines, the XE package improves fuel efficiency by lowering engine rpm at a given vehicle speed, a concept called “downspeeding.”
Made possible through the combination of I-Shift and a Volvo engine with modified software, XE allows the engine to cruise about 200 rpm less than the average truck, the company noted.
“We are very proud of our people, whose dedication allowed us to make these great achievements,” noted Gӧran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America.
“It’s clear from our strong performance that the market continues to see the fuel efficiency benefits offered by our powertrain and aerodynamic truck design,” he said. “While we are very pleased with our 2015 results, we will continue to seek opportunities to make advancements in products, service and support that positively impact the bottom line of our customers.”
