Volvo Trucks has announced an updated version of its heavy-duty lineup in Sweden including what the company is claiming as an ‘all new’ 17-litre flagship turbo diesel engine platform.
The company revealed a range of aerodynamic and safety updates to its FH and FM, as well as revealing the new 17-litre engine.
The company also revealed that its FH range has been expanded with the addition of an “extended front” variant which it has dubbed the FH-Aero, which will be available for the European market.
Volvo Truck Australia says the newly upgraded models will be produced locally at its Wacol plant in Brisbane, with the first one expected to roll of the line sometime around the middle of this year.
The headline act however appears to be the new D17 engine, which it says is equipped with a single ‘efficient’ turbocharger that it claims ‘boosts engine responsiveness improving the driving experience’.
The engine apparently utilises Volvo’s patented wave piston design, which it says optimises combustion and reduces emissions, while it says the new injection system ensures the best fuel economy, and the increased peak cylinder pressure enables high power output.
Volvo Truck Australia tells us that power ratings for the Australian market are yet to be confirmed.
Volvo Group Australia boss, Martin Merrick said this latest iteration of the Volvo FH is the cleanest and most efficient and most powerful truck the company has ever offered Australian customers.
“With the Volvo FH having just celebrated 30 years of delivering unparalleled levels of safety , performance and efficiency it’s fitting that the revamped Volvo range has raised the bar in these areas once again,” the Volvo CEO and president said.
“I’m confident that the new D17 engine will be a game changer for linehaul, regional and heavy haulage customers across the country,” said Merrick.
“Ther engine has been subjected to a brutal local test program in some of the harshest conditions and with some of the highest weights this country has to offer to ensure the uptime and productivity that Volvo customers have come to expect,” Merrick added.
“Regardless of driveline, whether ICE or BEV, the Volvo FH will continue to deliver efficiency, safety, power and comfort for Australian drivers and I for one will be proud to be see the first of these new trucks roll off our Wacol assembly line in mid-2024,” Merrick concluded.
The company also says that its I-See technology has been refined to save energy and carbon emissions, using a cloud based topographic map which it says optimise driving and enables more driving time in cruise control 
mode that can both save energy and give more relaxed driving.
Volvo revealed the new range will feature updated brakes using its patented drag-free brake discs, pads and hubs, which it says improves the braking capacity, and reduces energy consumption and emissions.
It says that all engines will be available with 13 and 14-speed crawler and ultra-low crawler I-Shift AMT transmissions, as well as the traditional 12-speed. The company says that the new FH16 600 will also benefit from the option of a new low-drag I-Shift variant for highway applications.
Volvo says that the revamp of the FH is the biggest since the launch of the 4th generation FH platform in 2012 and that driver appeal, safety and efficiency are at the forefront of arguably the biggest revamp of the Volvo FH
Like its German rival, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo has adopted camera based mirror systems for its new trucks. The company says that both the FH and FM will benefit from significant aerodynamic improvements, most particularly as a result of the addition of what it is calling its Camera Monitoring System (CMS), the name it is giving to its camera based rear view system. CMS clearly replaces the traditional external mirror assemblies on both sides of the cab, and it will give a wider field of view than a standard glass mirror and is able to shift that view accordingly as an articulated comb negotiates turns.
As has been proven by Benz the camera based mirrors deliver huge aero and efficiency gains as a result of not having mirror assemblies upsetting air flow around the cab, not to forget the huge drop in wind noise.
Volvo has also enabled the mirrors to be activated from the sleeper bunk, to deliver added vision for the driver to monitor the exterior of the truck while resting.
Inside the new truck has received a revised audio system as well as new interior styling and branding updates, while the recent relaxation of European length regulations has enabled Volvo to develop its new FH Aero model, which has an additional 240mm added to the front air dam, which it claims significantly lowers the trucks drag co-efficient.
