By
Team Writer
/ March 28, 2017
Kenworth made a return to the Mid-America Trucking show this year and they had a made in America message for everyone. They also talked to the press about what is going on with them behind the scenes. They have an estimate for the year 2017 on truck sales and expect to sell a lot.
Key Takeaways:
- We sat down after the pre-show press conference with Mike Dozier, who took the reins as general manager less than a year ago, and Patrick Dean, Kenworth’s chief engineer, for a wide-ranging discussion on the show, the health of the industry, and the road to autonomous vehicles.
- In the heavy-duty market, our estimate for 2017 is a 190,000 to 220,000 unit market. We’d like to think in the context of the other economic and market indicators that there’s some real upside to that.
- Our Class 8 market share of 15.1% last year is a record. We always look to grow that, but we’ll grow profitably and not go out there just for the sake of market share.
“Kenworth (along with sister company Peterbilt) returned to the Mid-America Trucking Show this year, highlighting the driver, its flagship T680 linehaul model, its strong vocational lineup, and a made-in-America message for show attendees, while talking to the press about behind-the-scenes advances ongoing and in the works.”