• The largest Volkswagen trucks in the world arrive to make history in the heavy-duty segment, which is expanding most in Brazil;
•  Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus now has a complete portfolio of tailored products to offer to all customers, of the most varied market niches;
•  Connected and intelligent: vehicles are born in the 4.0 era, with a free connectivity package for three years and with the highest index of Brazilian content of the segment;
•  The project included an investment of BRL 1 billion and the construction of the newest heavy-duty assembly line in Brazil.

The new family of heavy-duty Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus debuts to revolutionize cargo transportation and expand the company’s portfolio with the largest Volkswagen trucks of all times. The new giants are Meteor 29,520 6×4, Meteor 28,460 6×2 and Constellation 33,460 6×4, all equipped with a 13-liter engine that provides high durability and fuel savings.

The novelties represent yet another milestone: they are the most powerful trucks in the line that bear the VW logo throughout their trajectory, entering the range of 460 and 520 horsepower. The giants now enable the manufacturer in new categories, with solutions to meet the full range of trucks from 3.5 tons to 125 tons, the widest on the Brazilian market.

The duty-heavy VW arrives in the market with the objective of making the brand grow in the segment that is most expanding in Brazil and is the result of four years of meticulous development and more than BRL 1 billion invested, combining Volkswagen’s success in the best-selling trucks in Brazil to the demands of customers in the 4.0 universe.

Since its conception, the new heavy-duty Meteor and Constellation have brought VWCO’s recipe for success: the expertise of Brazilian engineering with the best of German technology. Proof of this is the Brazilian heart: the models debut the new generation of the MAN D26 13-liter engine, developed and produced in Brazil, the first country outside Europe to manufacture it. The new propellant provides the customer with more than expected vehicle performance, with greater fuel economy, low maintenance costs and durability suitable for the most severe applications.

The Brazilian seasoning permeates the entire project: a team of more than 150 of the automaker’s specialists has been dedicated exclusively over the past four years, listening to customers and working for the best solutions together with the group’s technical staff. More than a thousand parts were developed by VW Caminhões e Ônibus engineering to ensure a robust product, with high reliability and availability for the most diverse applications. The news also comes with the highest index of Brazilian content in the segment. Everything developed tailored to meet the most diverse road and off-road operations.

The new models were developed with a focus on optimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO), in a strategy that involves the entire customer journey, covering these demands from the development of the project and its technical characteristics to the after-sales service, according to the philosophy that has consecrated the automaker: “less you don’t want, more you don’t need”.

The new heavy-duty line celebrates yet another feat: the trucks had the largest data acquisition campaign of VW Caminhões e Ônibus. More than 20 prototypes were used to support the development of the new heavy-duty VW in Brazil. This translates into a product of high efficiency, productivity and robustness, with low cost of operation, safety and comfort.

Thus, the launches reach the Volkswagen truck family fully connected and aimed at high productivity: they debut in the 4.0 era of service from the manufacturer, with a wide range of technologies to maximize operational efficiency through embedded intelligence, connectivity and digital services, with three years of free services.

Investments in production – The investment in the new VW heavy-duty family included not only research and development, but also the construction of the newest extra-heavy cabins assembly line in Brazil, from the frame to the finish, with modern 4.0 manufacturing in terms of automation and data connectivity. With investments of more than BRL 500 million and a dedicated team of 150 employees, the launches also have an exclusive area in the VW Caminhões e Ônibus production and development complex in Resende (Rio de Janeiro): they are a total of 18 thousand square meters, including from production to parts logistics. For the maximum synergy characteristic of VWCO’s operation, the final assembly of the models will take place on the same line as the MAN TGX vehicles.