According to www.ttnews.com, Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) and Mack Trucks combined sales fell 34% in Q1 2026 to 9,486 trucks from 14,315 trucks in Q1 2025 — a decline directly tied to planned production stoppages across North American facilities.
Production Cutbacks Driven by Order Weakness
Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt stated during the parent company’s Q1 earnings call on April 24 that “U.S. truck manufacturing operations … were standing still approximately 25%-30% of the available time in the quarter.” He called the move “a conscious, tough, but correct decision” made in response to weak order levels in the second half of 2025. Production lines were halted for individual days in Q4 2025 and again in April 2026; normal operations are expected to resume in May as orders ramp up.
Brand-Level Performance and Order Surge
VTNA’s Q1 sales fell 39% to 3,968 trucks from 6,510 year-over-year, while Mack’s North American sales dropped 29% to 5,494 trucks from 7,684. Despite the sales dip, order intake surged: VTNA orders rose 63% to 7,540 trucks, and Mack’s orders jumped 91% to 10,649 trucks. Combined North American Class 8 orders for both brands soared 78% to 18,221 trucks from 10,217.
- Volvo brand heavy-duty market share grew to 8.5% (from 7.2% in Q1 2025)
- Mack’s market share rose to 8.7% (from 6.9%), with Lundstedt noting recovery in vocational segments — e.g., cabover waste collection units rebounded from 30% to 50% market share
Forecast Unchanged Amid Mixed Demand Signals
Volvo Group maintained its full-year 2026 North American Class 8 retail sales forecast unchanged at 265,000 trucks, citing persistent weakness in third- and fourth-quarter 2025 orders. Lundstedt noted sales momentum is expected in H2 2026 but ruled out a “material pre-buy.” VTNA President Peter Voorhoeve cautioned that 2026–2027 purchases will rise over 2025 levels but likely won’t match record February 2026 order volumes.
Product Rollouts Align With Market Rebound
Both brands have overhauled their on-highway portfolios ahead of an anticipated over-the-road freight rebound. VTNA began production of its revamped regional-haul VNR tractor in Dublin, Va., in February 2026. Mack launched production of its updated Anthem model in Macungie, Pa., in January 2026. Lundstedt said the group is “more and more now completing the rollout and are getting ready for having a well-greased system in North America, and up to a level that we have seen in Europe before.”
The U.S. freight environment remains weak overall, with recent spot rate increases attributed to capacity normalization—not rising freight demand—according to Volvo Group.
“We are now at 8.7% [for Mack], and we see a good momentum here [now] that we are not hampered by our own industrial system and other deficits.” — Martin Lundstedt, CEO, Volvo Group
Source: Transport Topics
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
