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Mack Begins Serial Anthem Tractor Production
Revamped Truck Part of Volvo Group Push for Increased Market Share
Key Takeaways:
- Mack Trucks began serial production of its revamped Anthem regional-haul tractor Jan. 13 at the Lehigh Valley Operations plant in Pennsylvania, following its June unveiling and September order opening.
- The updated Anthem delivers a claimed 10% fuel efficiency gain, improved maneuverability and shared components with the Pioneer as Mack targets regional, food delivery, tanker and bulk-haul segments.
- Executives cautioned the launch comes amid weak truck demand and ongoing freight pressures, with analysts expecting limited improvement in 2026 despite Volvo Group’s long-term market share ambitions.
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After the revamp, the Anthem offers a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency plus a more comfortable cabin and greater maneuverability, Mack said. (Mack Trucks)
Mack Trucks began serial production of the Anthem regional-haul tractor on schedule Jan. 13, the Volvo Group division said.
Anthems are built at the Lehigh Valley Operations plant in Macungie, Pa., where all Class 8 Mack trucks for North America and export are assembled.
“The all-new Anthem represents more than a decade of engineering innovation, delivering practical solutions that address the real challenges facing today’s regional-haul operations,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America.
“From rising operational costs to driver recruitment challenges, we designed the Anthem from the ground up to help our customers succeed,” he added.
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The truck maker unveiled the Anthem revamp in June. Anthems are available in day cab, 44-inch sleeper and 64-inch sleeper configurations.
Mack opened the order book for the Anthem in September. The Anthem originally joined Mack’s Class 8 on-highway lineup in September 2017.
The Anthem overhaul came after the April introduction of the Pioneer as the truck maker’s over-the-road flagship tractor.
After the revamp, the Anthem offers a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency plus a more comfortable cabin and greater maneuverability, Mack said. The bumper-to-back-of-cab measurement decreased from 117 inches to 113.5 inches, and the truck has a 50-degree turning radius. There is a 12% clearer view to the front bumper.
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About 80% to 90% of the overhauled Anthem shares components with the Pioneer, which also is built at the LVO plant. (Mack Trucks)
Engine options for the latest Anthem tractors are the MP13 Variable Geometry Turbo and the MP13 HE, with up to 515 horsepower available. Six wheelbase options are available along with three axle configurations: 6x4, 6x2 and 4x2.
About 80% to 90% of the overhauled Anthem shares components with the Pioneer, which also is built at the LVO plant.
The overhaul of the Anthem and introduction of the Pioneer are part of Volvo Group ambitions to transform Mack’s position in the Class 8 tractor market, especially the over-the-road segment.
Randall said during a June Facebook Live event for media members that the food delivery, tanker and bulk-haul segments of the Class 8 market were particular targets for Mack with the latest version of the Anthem.
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Volvo Group’s top executive — Martin Lundstedt — has been especially blunt over the past 12 months over how disappointing the previous iteration of the Anthem’s performance was in the longhaul market.
“For Mack in particular, [the Pioneer launch] is more or less like re-entering into almost like a greenfield situation when it comes to the long haulage, the heavy-long haulage. The excitement is big. We will take it step by step with the right type of commercial quality as well because the product is great,” he told analysts during the company’s Oct. 17 third-quarter earnings call.
Mack delivered its first Pioneer tractors to customers in November. Production began in August.
Mack captured a 6.9% share of U.S. Class 8 retail sales in 2024, according to Wards Intelligence data.
Volvo is looking to attain a 25% North American heavy-duty truck market share by 2030 as a result of the Pioneer’s introduction and overhauls for the Anthem and Volvo Trucks North America’s VNL and VNR models. VTNA won a 10.2% share of the Class 8 retail market in 2024.
Demand for trucks in 2025 was weak, owing to the ongoing freight rate recession, but executives planning the launch of models and overhauls years in advance had expected appetite to rebound by this point in the cycle.
However, analysts do not expect demand in 2026 to be any better as carriers’ cost increases are set to continue to outpace rate growth.
Demand for trucks was so bad in 2025 that Volvo Group cut 1,000 production plant jobs, including in Macungie.
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