New Truck Company Carries the Oldest Name in the Business

         A History of Autocar -- the Oldest U.S. Vehicle Nameplate In
                            Continuous Production

    UNION CITY, Ind., Sept. 21 The newest company in the
heavy-duty truck industry has a name that represents more than 100 years of
quality and achievements.
    Autocar LLC was formed in July 2001, when parent company Grand Vehicle
Works Holdings LLC (GVW) purchased the Autocar name and the Xpeditor truck
line from Volvo Trucks North America Inc.
    GVW acquired the Autocar name for a good reason.  As the oldest vehicle
nameplate in continuous production in the United States, Autocar is synonymous
in the truck industry with product quality, particularly for vocational
applications.  As Autocar LLC, the company will create a new pairing by
combining Autocar's historic, well-recognized name with an established product
line, the Xpeditor, a truck used mainly for refuse hauling.
    "We value the credibility of the Autocar name, and we will uphold the
integrity and characteristics that this name represents," said Bob Enright,
president of Autocar LLC.
    Autocar's solid reputation stems from a rich legacy of manufacturing that
began in 1897; the Autocar name has graced vehicles in three centuries.
    The original Autocar company got its start that year as the Pittsburgh
Motor Car Company.  Founded by brothers Louis and John Clark, the company's
first vehicle was a gas-powered tricycle.  Two years later, the Clarks moved
the company to Ardmore, Pa., and renamed the firm Autocar.  In 1905, the name
Autocar became a registered trademark.
    The company began focusing on trucks in 1907, with the introduction of a
two-ton truck with shaft driven axle.  Autocar was the first truck
manufacturer to build wheels with wooden instead of wire spokes.  It
introduced its first commercial vehicle in 1908, and growth continued
throughout ensuing decades.
    Autocar has many truck manufacturing achievements to its credit:

     -- It was the first company to mass-produce a truck with forward control
        (a configuration in which more than half the engine length is behind
        the furthest-front point of the windshield base and the steering wheel
        hub is in the first quarter of the vehicle length).
     -- It offered the first four-cylinder-engine forward-control truck.
     -- It was one of the few truck manufacturers to make its own engines,
        transmissions and rear axles.

    In addition, auto historians cite Autocar trucks as being instrumental to
the Allied forces' efforts in World Wars I and II.
    In 1953, the White Motor Car Co. purchased a controlling interest in
Autocar and moved the company to Exton, Pa.  White primarily marketed Autocar
trucks to companies in the construction, logging, mining, quarrying and oil
industries.
    In 1981 Volvo purchased White, renaming the company Volvo White Truck
Corp., and retained the Autocar name.  After July 1995, Volvo continued to use
the Autocar emblem on heavy construction trucks, and in 1997, Autocar
celebrated its 100th anniversary.
    Although Autocar LLC is blessed with a historic name, it's bringing a new
approach to the heavy-duty truck industry.
    Unlike other truck manufacturers, Autocar has only one product line: the
Xpeditor, a Class 8 low-cab-over engine (LCOE) truck.  This streamlined
product roster allows Autocar to focus solely on the needs of Xpeditor users.
Autocar will collect feedback from its customers and create products and
services that address these comments.  As a result, purchasers of Xpeditor
trucks can expect a high-level of service before and after a sale.
    "Historically, the LCOE segment of the Class 8 truck market has been too
small to merit much attention from truck manufacturers.  For Autocar, however,
this segment is our only business," said Enright, Autocar president.  "We
think purchasers of the Xpeditor and all LCOE trucks will appreciate the
attention they'll receive from Autocar."

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