Autocar may be the “oldest” truck manufacturer still in operation today but hasn’t found the success that today’s modern truck manufacturers have. Having started in 1897, the first Autocar trucks rolled out of the factory in 1899. However, they stopped producing automotive in 1911 and went exclusively with severe-duty commercial trucks. In 1953 the company was acquired by White Motor Company, and then White Motor Company was acquired by Volvo in 1981. Volvo would sell it later to a private company, GVW Group, in 2001. 

During these transitions, the company has undergone numerous changes and gaps in years of production. With GVW Group taking over Autocar in 2001, the first of the modern era of Autocar trucks began with the model year 2003, which is where this blog post focuses on.

Autocar has history and ambitions, including the release of a conventional model truck not too long ago. We love our history on commercial trucks, and many of us are cheering for them in the background.

Our data is backed by our Diesel VIN decoder, which decodes millions of VINs yearly. This data is analyzed to re-create the same model years as the truck manufacturing year. 

Note that model years and the trucks’ actual manufacturing years are often different. Most times, the model year is one year from the manufacturing date. The next model years typically come out in February or March of the previous year. This means a truck built in April 2022 is typically a 2023 model year. The years given here are model years, not the year the truck manufactured.

The other essential item is that we do not include gliders in our year ranges. Gliders are trucks built either without engines or with remanufactured engines. This was a loophole around emission-related truck engines for several years before it was closed by the government, and gliders were no longer allowed. 

Autocar Xpeditor WX

Autocar has a confusing model naming scheme, as the terms, Xpeditor and WX often intermingle. The Volvo WX and the Autocar WX sold simultaneously, which made sense since Autocar had been acquired from Volvo. The trucks were identical, as you can see in the image below comparing the two manufacturers. The Autocar WX is a severe duty, cab over engine design mainly for refuse and other similar applications. It primarily used a variety of Cummins engines through the years, such as the ISC, ISM, ISL, and other compressed natural gas engines. It was last produced for the model year 2010 when it was redesigned and relaunched as the Autocar ACX.

Autocar Xpeditor WXLL 

The Autocar WXLL uses the same cab as the Autocar WX, but the WXLL has a low-level (Hence the LL added to the model name) entry to allow easier access to the truck’s cab. As you can see from the image below, the WXLL model has the cab further up on the steer axle. The WXLL model offered the same engine as the Autocar WX.

Autocar Xpeditor WXR

Another truck that both Volvo and Autocar sold was the WXR. The interesting thing with the WXR is that our research isn’t coming up with much. We know it was manufactured from 2003 through 2010 along with the other WX-Series, and we know it had the same engines as Cummins (ISL, ISM, & ISC). It was a Class 8 truck, but we’ve been unable to find any documentation on what differentiated it. If we had to guess, our assumption would be the “R” stands for rugged, and this particular model had more oversized frame rails, heavier capacity, or some other characteristics. As of this blog post, there are no WXR trucks available in North America, along with very few mentions of it on the Internet.

Autocar Xpeditor ACX

Starting in 2008, the Autocar Expeditor WX series shifted to the new Autocar ACX line. You may still hear them called Xpeditors, but the new Autocar Xpeditor ACX brought recent changes to the lineup. The entire cab and truck had changed design yet still kept true to its heritage and name. The trucks are still designed for refuse and concrete pumping operations, but customers could now order them with different axle configurations (4×2, 6×4, & 8×4) along with the new EPA 2010 emissions. While only available with Cummins engines, you could now order it with the ISX 12-liter options.

Autocar Xpert ACMD

The Autocar Xpert ACMD debuted in the model year 2012 and was the only medium-duty cab-over-engine truck manufactured in the US. It was first only a Class 7 truck but later expanded to cover Class 8. The truck can be built as a 4×2 or 6×4 option but has plenty of axle brands and ratings available to cover a wide range of customer applications. They also come as an extended cab for extra storage capacity.

Autocar Xspotter ACTT

Announced in 2008, the new Autocar Xspotter ACTT introduced as a yard truck for the model year 2009. These terminal tractors could be ordered for on-highway legal or off-highway use only. In 2021, Autocar announced an all-electric version of the Autocar Xspotter ACTT called the E-ACTT. Terminal tractors play an essential role in freight logistics, with Ottawa being the market leader.

Autocar DC-64

Unveiled in 2019 and first produced with the model year 2020, the Autocar DC-64 brought its legendary reputation back to the Class 8 conventional model truck since Volvo killed it in 2000. The truck can best be described as the old school meets modern, with a unique-looking grill and hood that screams “vintage” when you look at it. This truck is built for severe duty applications such as refuse, mixer, and dump trucks. They have four specific model names:

• DC-64R = Refuse
• DC-64M = Mixer
• DC-64D = Dump
• DC-64P = Pump

All the models are only available with the Cummins engines, the L9, X12, and the ISX 12N (Natural gas version). You can order the front grill in chrome or “blacked out,” presenting a unique look and feel. Autocar also added modern technology such as ADAS while securing various industry awards.

Summary

We also love hearing our customer’s stories and thoughts about the various Autocar Truck models produced in the last 30 years, so make sure to leave a comment!

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