No Mack Media Event At Mid-america Truck Show= The Beginning Of The End?

[GearheadGrrrl]

Volvo's press conference at the Mid-America Truck Show is just winding down, not that there was much of anything new to talk about anyway- some enhancements to Volvo's "spy in the cab" system to tempt the big fleets and the VHD mixer chassis will get the stability control system that Mack's had for months. There was no Mack press conference...

Perhaps it portends the future when Mack is muzzled at the world's biggest truck show and media event and half of Volvo's presentation is trickle down technology from Mack. One gets the feeling that next year's Volvo press conference will feature the "new" Volvo "Delta" triple countershaft transmission and "hi-drive" double reduction drive axles and bogie. By then Mack probably won't even be in the exhibit hall, instead exiled to a distant and dusty corner of the parking lot.

I know, Mack's North American deliveries for January and February were horrible, down over 50% from last years pace. But Volvo was down over 30%, and would have done worse had Volvo not had a big inventory of pre-2007 emmissions truck to sell. Consider also that Mack has been hit by a double whammy of new emmission standards and the collapse of new home construction.

Now real corporate management would dig in now and agressively market Mack- like offering Mack in every country Volvo and Renault are sold in so Mack would have some insulation from downward swings in the North American market. With little capital outlay they could add new models like sleeper cabs on the Granite chassis, oil field specials, and a sleeper cab highway tractor pre-specced for conversion to a dump truck in later life.

But Noooo... remember the "merger" of Packard and Studebaker, when they first slapped Packard badges on a Studebaker, then killed off Packard completely. A few years after that Studebaker joined Packard in the automotive graveyard. I'm not about to break open my piggy bank and buy a new Granite when it will probably be orphaned in a few years. Volvo needs to send a firm message that Mack will be here for another century if they want to survive instead of flaming out in a fleet truck price war with DCX.

Until I see such committment, I'll be shopping for the best R and other classic Macks I can find instead of that new Granite!

[ThaddeusW]

No Mack at MATS? Ugh lets just hope this is nothing more then paranoid speculation .

Not to hijack your thread GG, but, I too always thought Mack could make a limited comeback in Europe.

Volvo could reintroduce Mack back into Europe as a flagship truck for fleets, owner-operators or heavy vocational. EuroVision would be a good name (Vision looks spiffy enough). The only thing is Mack axles don't have 335mm bolt circles or air disc brakes. Just ship a cab and chassis over, like a glider kit but with the engine and with or without a Mack transmission. Let Renault setup the axles, suspension, body, and maybe offer a ZF manual or automatic option. The Air brake system should use domestic Knorr-Bremse, Wabco, or Haldex valves, compressors and suspension controls to make the truck easily serviceable anywhere in Europe. Maybe even use Renault/Volvo axles to make things even easier. Since Volvo put their engines into both Renault and Mack, service for Macks could be done easily at any Volvo/Renault dealership. I think it could work, Customer specs out a Mack, Renault sends the cab chassis specs over, Mack builds and ships the Kit to Renault where they put the final components in and viola EuroMack!

[bulldog man]

I hate to say it but i have a BAD FELLING will later become another Autocar around for 100 years & then POOF like magic the will disapear thanks to VOLVO

LATER YALL

[HK Trucking]

GG Wrote:

Perhaps it portends the future when Mack is muzzled at the world's biggest truck show and media event and half of Volvo's presentation is trickle down technology from Mack. One gets the feeling that next year's Volvo press conference will feature the "new" Volvo "Delta" triple countershaft transmission and "hi-drive" double reduction drive axles and bogie. By then Mack probably won't even be in the exhibit hall, instead exiled to a distant and dusty corner of the parking lot.

When I think about it, here is what I come up with: V*%^$o isn't spending any money to promote Mack, because it makes no sense to spend money to promote a brand that they've already decided to phase out.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm probably right.