Proud to be involved

Proud to be involved

Alicante, the 29th of October 2011. The crews are about to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives and 9 months of heartache, despair and joy lie ahead. Volvo Trucks will be there for every adrenaline filled second.

Volvo Ocean Race brings out the best in those who accept the challenge. Teamwork and unshakeable trust in their yacht and each other will drive the crews to find mental and physical resolve above and beyond the ordinary. At Volvo Trucks, we believe in these characteristics. In many ways, they typify our efforts to remain at the leading edge of the truck industry around the world.

Always pushing ourselves...

Driver and skipper may inhabit two very different environments, but in their own way they place equally high demands on their gear. They share a desire to go further, become better and perform more efficiently than ever before. We recognise this kind of motivation and we strive to apply it to everything we do.

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The legend lives on

Welcome to Volvo Trucks and the Volvo Ocean Race

Refined to the limits

Refined to the limits

The Volvo Open 70 is the most dynamic monohull design ever built. The boats are created according to the same rules stipulating measures, materials and more. And the designers and sailors do everything to find the perfect balance between weight, size and shape. Just like in the truck industry, progress in sailing is getting increasingly faster. Performance improved immensely when boats were allowed to be 2 m longer, have 4 m taller masts and 28 % bigger mainsails – while being up to 1000 kg lighter. In October 2008 the yacht Ericsson 4 travelled a staggering 596.6 nautical miles (1105 km) in 24 hours. Who will beat the record this time?

AttributeMetricImperial
Length Overall21.5 m70.5 ft
Beam5.7 m18.7 ft
Draft 4.5 m14.7 ft
Mast31.5 m103.3 ft
Displacement14,000 kg30,870 lb
Ballast7,400 kg16,320 lb
Mainsail175 m21,883 sq
Storm Jib35 m2376 sq
Jib94 m21,011 sq
Spinnaker (Masthead)500 m25,381 sq
Spinnaker (Fractional Rig)350 m23,767 sq
Storm Trysail41 m2441 sq

Finding the perfect gear

Finding the perfect gear

Just like an engine and transmission, a sail has its special sweet spot where it performs optimally.

High-tech power

The sails are truly the engine of a sailing boat. Choosing the sail at the right moment can give you the extra throttle and leverage needed to inch ahead of your competitors. The same is true for the performance of a Volvo truck with I-Shift. The electronics of the I-Shift system ensure that the correct gear is always selected. With I-Shift Economy Power software, the engine gives extra torque in top gear when it is most needed. This enables the truck to climb a hill without needing to shift down, for example. The end result is that every drop of fuel is used to its maximum.

I-Shift facts

In 2011 I-Shift is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Today, no fewer than 80 % of Volvo’s FH trucks are equipped with the system. Both new and used trucks can be upgraded with I-Shifts fuel-saving Economy Power software.

6 705 nm
In the middle of the action

In the middle of the action

The Volvo Ocean Race is a celebration. A globe-spanning festival that paints its host cities in unique colours, sounds and excitement.

From Alicante to the final stop in Galway, official race villages buzz to the sound of a dozen different languages. Crews swap stories of the thrills of the latest leg. Spectators enjoy close-up access to the yachts and a chance to see at first hand the levels of technological expertise involved. And all the time, the air is charged with a potent mix of adrenaline and expectation.

A unique camaraderie

Many Volvo Ocean Race veterans describe a unique kind of desolation, born from knowing that you are as far from dry land as a human being can possibly be. The flip side of this is the joy of being reunited with families or loved ones after weeks at sea, or simply hearing the wind stir the leaves of a tree. So why do they do it? A question perhaps best answered by long-time competitor Sir Peter Blake - ‘It gets in your blood and you can’t get rid of it.’

Roadside assistance 24/7

Roadside assistance 24/7

For the very same reasons as in the race, we at Volvo Trucks are doing everything in our power to maximise the safety and uptime of our trucks. We can never accept that a person gets injured from the usage of our products, and the risk of a breakdown must be minimised.

We realise that a breakdown has a major impact on our customer’s economy. That is why we are investing heavily in making every truck as safe and reliable as possible, as well as providing road side assistance and service to fix any problem quickly in order to put the truck back on the road to earn its living. Service, parts and maintenance are always close at hand.

Standing by every hour

Volvo Action Service is Volvo Trucks’ roadside assistance service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With the support of our comprehensive service network, we help you with truck repairs. If required, a skilled Volvo Action Service technician will support you at the roadside, getting you back on the road.

Volvo Trucks dealers and workshops:

Europe1100
North America620
Asia270
South America144
Africa and Middle East79

Shore support crew always ready

Shore support crew always ready

It is not the lack of sleep, roaring storms or ice-cold stretches that sailors fear the most. The worst scenarios are man overboard or crew injury. Close after comes crucial damage that stops the boat from continuing the race.

Nothing compares with the frustration of having to watch the competitors sail past as you head for port and repairs.

Support teams

Every boat has a shore team constantly monitoring its performance. They plan repairs and improvements for every leg. As soon as the boat reaches port, the onboard crew will disembark and the shore support crew takes over, hauling the vessel out of the water. Their experts fix everything from computers to cracked hulls and they will work day and night to get the boat in perfect shape.

Safety always in focus

The sailors are well trained in safety procedures and carry medical equipment way beyond what is required. Moreover, the bulb and rudders of the boats are painted orange for easy identification at sea.

Route information

Volvo Trucks, Spain

Volvo Spain’s chief activity is the importation and distribution of Trucks, buses, parts and related services. 8 Dealers with a total of 35 points of sale and 67 service points cover the whole of Spain. Our dealer in Alicante, Provehima, was founded in 1972, making it the longest-established Volvo Dealer currently active in Spain. It has 4 branch offices covering the Alicante, Albacete, Cuenca and Murcia regions respectively.

Volvo Trucks, Durban, South Africa

Starting in 2006, the plant in Durban, South Africa, is one of Volvo’s newer factories, manufacturing both Volvo FH and Volvo FM trucks. The plant employs about 100 people.

Volvo Trucks, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

In the UAE, Volvo is exclusively represented by FAMCO. FAMCO is a member of the Al-Futtaim Group, one of the largest privately owned business houses in the lower Gulf. With bases in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah, the company is the sole UAE distributor for Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses and Volvo Construction Equipment.

Volvo Trucks, China

The first Volvo Truck was sold to China in the middle of the 1930’s. Since then Volvo has established a long-term business relationship with China. Since the middle of the 1970’s, Volvo Trucks has been the volume leader of all European and American manufacturers selling about 7000 heavy duty trucks in China. Currently, Volvo Trucks has a powerful service network consisting of many maintenance service centers in major cities located at China’s expressways.

Volvo Trucks, Brisbane, Australia

There are a total of 85 dealers and workshops in the Australia and New Zealand region. The Wacol factory in Australia has manufactured trucks since 1972. Today, they build Volvo FM13, FH13 and FH16. The trucks are almost 100 per cent custom built, with no use of robots. In 2010, the production amounted to 1,116 Volvo trucks. The plant employs about 360 industrial workers of 34 different nationalities, and recently invested AUD 7.7 million in new process facilities.

Volvo Trucks, Curitiba, Brazil

The Volvo Truck factory in Brazil has been operating since 1977. The Curitiba plant manufactures both cabs and trucks, including the Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo VM ranges, as well as chassis for Volvo Buses. The production rate is 27,900 units a year. In addition, the Curitiba plant also manufactures 12 and 13 litre engines. The factory employs around 2,200 industrial workers.

Volvo Trucks, New River Valley, North America

The New River Valley plant is the largest Volvo Truck plant in the world, with a workforce of more than 1,800 industrial workers, manufacturing Volvo VN and Volvo VHD as well as truck cabs. The plant was started in 1974 by White Motor Company and became a Volvo Truck plant in 1981. The plant has been awarded the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award twice, in 2005 and 2008.

Volvo Trucks, Portugal

In Portugal, Auto Sueco Group is the exclusive distributor for Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses, Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Penta marine and industrial engines, since 1933. Auto Sueco has a strong sales and after sales network together with a competitive offer of products and soft services. The Auto Sueco Group has Volvo operations also in Angola, Brazil, Botswana, Cuba, Namibia, Kenya, Spain, Tanzania, Turkey and United States.

Volvo Trucks, France

Volvo Trucks has been (selling trucks) represented in France since 1963. From the Volvo FE to the new FH16 750 hp, Volvo Trucks France markets the whole range of trucks including total business solutions. In 2010, Volvo Trucks France delivered 4140 units with a market share of 15.7% (tractors) and 5.5% (rigids). Volvo Trucks France has 114 dealerships in France: 50% are Volvo Truck Centers and 50% are private dealers. The total number of employees is around 800 persons.

Volvo Trucks, Ireland and UK

For 50 years, Volvo Group UK has been one of the leading commercial vehicle suppliers in Great Britain and Ireland, registering nearly 197,000 trucks and over 28,000 buses and coaches. From its busy headquarters in Warwick, the company offers a one-stop shop through an impressive network of 32 wholly-owned and 52 independent distributor/dealerships throughout the UK and Ireland offering a full range of Volvo products and services, employing almost 4,000 people.

Get the facts

Height of the mast

31.5m or 103.3ft above water. The height of the mast is as tall as Christ the Redeemer, in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, (excluding base).

Overall boat length

21.5m or 70ft. The overall boat length is 1m taller than the height of the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Space

There’s only two cubic metres of space per person (equivalent to living in a phone box made of carbon fibre).

Get the facts

Everything about the Volvo Open 70

Speed

The Volvo Open 70 is faster than a greyhound.

Sails

The largest spinnaker onboard is the same as two tennis courts playing area.

Weight

The Volvo Open 70 weighs the same as 3 African elephants.

Links

Volvo Ocean Race Official Site Volvo Merchandise Volvo Trucks Magazine
Volvo Ocean Race Game Volvo Ocean Race Fan Zone

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