The first Autocar-badged Xpeditor truck rolled off the assembly line in January 2002. In July 2001, Grand Vehicle Works Holding LLC (GVW) purchased the venerable brand name and the Xpeditor low-cab-over-engine line from Volvo Trucks of North America, which had been producing the Xpeditor as a Volvo vehicle and had ceased producing trucks under the Autocar name.
The newly formed Autocar LLC is building its single-model Class 8 truck line on a contract basis at VTNA's New River Valley plant in Dublin VA, while it searches for a new manufacturing site. The company has narrowed the choice to three locations and should make a final decision in the coming weeks.
Initially, the low-entry Xpeditor is being marketed as a refuse collection truck, although it will eventually expand to other niche markets such as airport refueling, says Autocar president Bob Enright. The new Autocar has approximately 70 dealers lined up to provide sales and service.