HAGERSTOWN, Md. (April 19, 2005) — 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, Md. 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, 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 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 Center of Excellence for its powertrain operations.

Volvo Trucks North America assembles its Volvo VT, VN and VHD trucks in the United States at the ISO14001 and ISO9001 certified New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Va. It’s part of the Volvo Group of companies, a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.