HAGERSTOWN, Md. – The first U.S.-built Volvo D12 engine for installation in a customer’s Volvo VN model truck was presented to AAA Cooper Transportation in Hagerstown Apr. 15.

Previously, Volvo engines were produced in Sweden and exported to North America.

The Volvo D12 was presented to G. Mack Dove, chairman of AAA Cooper Transportation, and Robert Floyd, director of maintenance, by Peter Karlsten, president and CEO, Volvo Trucks North America, Inc., and Scott Kress, senior vice-president of sales and marketing.

The occasion marked the formal start of series production of Volvo engines in North America at the Volvo Powertrain facility in Hagerstown.

The 12-litre Volvo D12 is built on a brand new, state-of-the-art production line at the plant. Production of the recently introduced 16-litre Volvo D16 will begin at Hagerstown in late August. The Volvo Group, the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel engines in the world, is investing $150 million in the Hagerstown facility to make it the North American Centre of Excellence for its powertrain operations.

“Building engines in Hagerstown is an advantage for Volvo and our customers, since it sharply reduces the amount of time involved in shipping a finished engine to our truck plant in Dublin, Virginia,” said Peter Karlsten.

“This makes us more nimble and flexible as a manufacturer, to serve the needs of customers such as AAA Cooper Transportation. And, we now have Volvo’s industry-leading diesel manufacturing technology here for our North American customers to see for themselves.”

AAA Cooper Transportation (ACT) is headquartered in Dothan, Ala. The fleet operates about 2,000 Volvo VNs.

Volvo Trucks North America assembles its Volvo VT, VN and VHD trucks in the United States, at its New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Va. The plant is ISO14001 and ISO9001 certified.

The company is part of the Volvo Group of companies, a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For more information visit www.volvotrucks.us.com