Mack Trucks on Wednesday upped its ante in the company’s on-highway business with the debut of Mack’s newest, most driver-centric tractor to-date.
The Anthem model was unveiled at Mack’s Global Dealer Summit in Allentown, Penn. amid much fanfare and following nearly two months of teasers.
“For me, this is almost like Christmas Day,” Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt said shortly before unveiling the truck to the company’s dealer force and gathered media.
Mack Anthem’s enhancements help improve fuel efficiency by up to 3 percent, mostly through a redesigned hood and bumper that not only improve aerodynamics, but also cut service time thanks to their three-piece design.
Designers managed to pull better fuel economy out of the truck, Mack Vice President of Global Marketing and Brand Management John Walsh said, without sacrificing Mack’s traditional body lines.
“[The Anthem] proves that a truck doesn’t have to look like a jelly bean to get great fuel economy,” he said.
“It was just fantastic,” Lundstedt said of his first reaction when he first saw the design of the new truck months ahead of its debut Wednesday. “This [truck] is Mack, and this is a platform that expresses where we are coming from but also where we are heading for the future. It’s a platform that will provide all the things we need to move forward.”
