METTLE ON METAL
It takes only a short step into the past to see how sharply the COVID era has impacted Volvo’s present. Mid-way through 2020, when the economic and social ramifications of the global pandemic were still ramping up to full ferocity, Volvo was the undisputed dominant force in Australia’s heavy-duty truck market with a formidable 18.8 per cent of the category; several points ahead of eminent rival and fellow local manufacturer, Kenworth.
So strong was Volvo’s charge on the back of a proven product range, so purposefully planned and so clinically constructed over the previous few years, that some industry commentators – including this one – were absolutely convinced that by year’s end the Swedish powerhouse would be firmly fixed at the top of the heavy-duty tree. Pandemic or no pandemic.
Yet, it wasn’t to be.
Sure, it can be adventurous and even foolhardy to predict success at Kenworth’s expense, particularly given the brand’s remarkable and increasingly historic resilience in maintaining market leadership. But such was Volvo’s impetus that insiders and industry watchers alike had every reason to believe and, indeed, expect that 2020 would be the Swedish brand’s year to take the heavy-duty crown.
In a ridiculously short time, however, the wheels started to wobble as the second half of the year unfolded. Within a few months it was blatantly apparent that confident expectations of market leadership in 2020 were fast melting into a mirage.
At the end of a year like no other in modern memory – not least for those who lost their jobs as Volvo Group Australia (VGA) moved quickly to cut overheads – Volvo had slipped back to its bridesmaid’s berth with 16.4 per cent of the heavy-duty class, significantly behind a bolting Kenworth on 19.9 per cent.
Moreover, the new year has so far brought little relief for the corporate giant. In fact, from the outside looking in, things have become progressively more difficult for Volvo in 2021,
