ATLANTA, Ga. – Mack Trucks remains upbeat about the North American truck market, despite cooling orderboards.

“We still see a very strong fourth quarter for Mack Trucks,” Jonathan Randall, senior vice-president of sales and marketing said at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show. “We have not experienced near the cancellations others in the industry may have seen. We believe we are showing continuing strength in our orderboard.”

Mack raised its guidance for Class 8 retail deliveries in 2019 from 325,000 units to 340,000. In 2020, Mack expects to see continued strength in the vocational and regional haul segments, where it’s strong.

“We will still see relative strength in those core markets where Mack performs very, very well,” said Randall. In 2020, Mack expects to see a return to replacement demand levels.

Limited Edition Anthem

Mack also announced at the show the availability of a limited edition Mack Anthem, with a blacked-out color scheme and special interior features.

“When we first saw where our designers were going with the design of the Mack Anthem, how bold and distinct it was, we immediately thought it would be cool to do a limited edition,” said John Walsh, vice-president of marketing. “The most badass truck on the road just got even badder.”

During a press ride-and-drive two years ago, shortly after the Anthem’s launch, a blacked-out Anthem led a convoy from Allentown, Pa., to Atlanta, Ga. It collected the most attention on the road and at the truck stops.

“We blacked it out to gauge customer interest,” said Roy Horton, director, product strategy. “The response was tremendous.”

But Mack took the concept further with its limited edition truck. It comes with a 70-inch sleeper with a black sun visor and all-black trim package, including the air intakes and bezels around the headlamps. The grille surround and wordmark are also blacked-out, as well as the hood decals.

Durablack Alcoa wheels, a new limited edition badge, and a black bulldog hood ornament round out the exterior look.

Inside, the steering wheel is wrapped in black leather with gray stitching. There are black gauge bezels, wood accents and leather seats with diamond stitching. The truck also comes with a merchandize package, including a custom bulldog watch, Yeti cooler, and a custom black bulldog keychain. Only 500 of the trucks will be built, and orders are being accepted now.

New options

Mack also announced at NACV availability of the newest version of Bendix Wingman Fusion. It’ll be available for order in the fourth quarter on the Anthem and Pinnacle models. Updates include improvements to emergency braking capabilities, lane keeping support, and driver awareness level support.

Horton also discussed Mack Analytics, which is available to customers to help collect an analyze data collected from GuardDog Connect. He also highlighted the increasing penetration of the mDrive transmission, which is now spec’d on 94% of highway trucks and about 45% of vocational vehicles.