Posts Tagged → Daimler News
First double-clutch transmission in a truck
Stuttgart/Kawasaki
*Fuso is the first manufacturer worldwide to present a double-clutch transmission in commercial vehicles
*Known as the “Duonic”, this double-clutch transmission combines automated driving with the advantages of a manual transmission
Stuttgart/Kawasaki – As with a fully automatic transmission it is a two-pedal system, there is an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and a selector lever. The selector lever allows automatic or manual gearshift mode to be selected.
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Popularity: 2% [?]
Daimler sets up new smart product unit
Stuttgart
*Expansion of the smart brand and further development of the product portfolio
*Dr. Annette Winkler, previously Head of Global Business Management & Wholesale Europe, heads new product unit
Stuttgart – Daimler AG will be setting up a new smart product unit within the Mercedes-Benz Cars division on September 1, 2010. This will enhance the framework for successful expansion of the brand and further development of the product portfolio. Dr. Annette Winkler, previously Head of Global Business Management & Wholesale Europe, will head the new smart product unit with overall responsibility for the brand. In this function Dr. Winkler will report to Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars.
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Popularity: 1% [?]
BYD Company Limited and Daimler AG Sign Joint Venture Contract to Develop Electric Vehicles in China
Beijing
*BYD and Daimler AG to establish “Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd,” a 50:50 research and technology center to develop electric cars in China
*Mr. Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Company Limited: “Together with Daimler we are making excellent progress identifying opportunities to utilize the strengths of both companies to create a new brand of electric cars for China. This is a unique and exciting initiative and together we are pushing hard to bring this new electric vehicle to market as soon as possible.”
*Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG: “Our new joint venture is well positioned to make the most of the vast potential of electric mobility in China. We are fortunate to have excellent joint venture partners in China and the establishment of this research and technology center with BYD adds another dimension to our growing presence in this important market.”
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Popularity: 1% [?]
Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG announce wide-ranging strategic cooperation
Stuttgart
,
Apr 07, 2010
*Cooperation on the next-generation smart fortwo and Renault Twingo, including electric versions, as well as on expanding the smart and Twingo families
*Widespread powertrain sharing and co-development on future projects with applications across passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, specifically:
oThe sharing and co-development of diesel and gasoline engines from the Renault-Nissan Alliance; to be used in the new smart and Renault Twingo and to be adapted and modified with Mercedes-Benz characteristics for its new generation of premium compact cars
oThe sharing of gasoline and diesel engines coming from Daimler to Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan Motor Company, and providing the opportunity for further collaboration
oThe sharing of a Renault-Nissan Alliance diesel engine and transmission for the Mercedes-Benz Vito
*Collaboration in the field of light commercial vehicles
*One-time cross-shareholding amounting to 3.1% of each partner’s equity capital
*Additional synergies encompassing selective common purchasing opportunities, exchange of operational benchmarks and best practices to be shared across both groups
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Popularity: 1% [?]
Daimler AG intends to appoint Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard as a member of the Board of Management
Stuttgart
,
Feb 05, 2010
Daimler AG (stock-exchange abbreviation DAI) intends to appoint Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard as a full member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. In this context, following consultations with the Presidential Committee of the Supervisory Board, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG, Dr. Manfred Bischoff, will propose to the entire Supervisory Board that the Board of Management of Daimler AG should be enlarged. Dr. Bernhard is to have Board of Management responsibility for Mercedes-Benz Cars Production and Procurement and for the Mercedes-Benz Vans division. Discussions are being held with Rainer Schm?ckle, currently responsible for Production and Procurement Mercedes-Benz.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Daimler AG Reports a Total of 20,889 Cars Sold for the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. for December 2009
New York, NY
,
Jan 07, 2010
*Mercedes-Benz USA Records December Sales of 20,025 – an increase of 8.2% over December 2008 and highest month for 2009
*smart USA Records 864 Sales in December – an increase of 33% over previous month
Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) today reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division in the U.S. (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 20,889 units, an increase of 0.2 percent compared to December 2008. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported December sales of 20,025 vehicles, its highest monthly volume of the year, bringing the company’s total 2009 volume to 190,604 and narrowing the gap versus last year to 15.3 percent.
Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA said: “The strong finish to a year marked by challenges on every front, underscores the customer confidence in the Mercedes-Benz brand and the unstinting efforts we have undertaken in partnership with our retail network to provide an unparalleled ownership experience.”
The C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – was the volume leader for the year with sales of 52,427 vehicles, a 27.7 percent decrease from last year. The all-new, 9th generation E-Class, launched in late June, bucked the industry sales trend by increasing its volume year-over year by 11.7 percent (43,072 versus last year’s 38,576). Rounding out the top three volume lines was the popular M-Class SUV which recorded a 21 percent increase in December, bringing the annual volume to 25,799.
Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 5,098 vehicles in December 2009. This boosted the MBCPO year-end total to 71,886 units, an 11.2 percent increase over the annual sales record set last year.
smart USA recorded 864 sales in December 2009. This represents a 33% increase over November 2009. Year-to-date sales total 14,595 units. Since its introduction in the United States, there are nearly 40,000 smart fortwos traveling the roads throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are 78 smart centers located in 36 states.
Detailed vehicle sales information for MBUSA will be announced in a separate press release issued by Mercedes-Benz USA.
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Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. Sales Summary Through December 2009
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||||||
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|
Month Sales
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%
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Sales CYTD
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%
|
||
|
|
Curr Yr
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Pr Yr
|
Change
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Curr Yr
|
Pr Yr
|
Change
|
|
Mercedes-Benz USA
|
20,025
|
18,507
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8.2%
|
190,604
|
225,128
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-15.3%
|
|
smart USA
|
864
|
2,341
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-63.1%
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14,595
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24,622
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-40.7%
|
|
Mercedes-Benz USA/
smart USA combined |
20,889
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20,848
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0.2%
|
205,199
|
249,750
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-17.8%
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Popularity: 1% [?]
Mercedes-Benz Posts Strong Sales Growth in November – Sales up 19 Percent Worldwide
Stuttgart
,
Dec 07, 2009
Dr. Joachim Schmidt: “We continued our positive development in November and once again significantly increased sales worldwide.”
*Growth in all BRIC countries, particularly in China and Brazil
*Mercedes-Benz is the strongest premium brand in the U.S.; sales up 19 percent
*Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate expected to generate additional sales momentum
*E-Class and S-Class sedan best-selling vehicles in their segments
Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz posted a strong increase in sales in November, and was the premium brand achieving the highest growth rate worldwide. Last month, 88,600 vehicles were delivered to customers, a 19 percent increase (November 2008: 74,400). The Mercedes-Benz Cars division as a whole posted a 16 percent sales increase in November, to 98,400 units (November 2008: 84,500). The rise in sales last month was a result of double-digit increases for the E-Class and new-generation S-Class, plus strong sales growth in many regions such as Western Europe, North America, Asia/Pacific, and the BRIC nations.
“As expected, in November we built on October’s positive development and once again significantly increased sales worldwide,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. “In many markets, we further expanded our position and gained additional market shares.” The company expects sales for the fourth quarter as a whole to be significantly higher than in the prior year, mainly thanks to the new E-Class and the new-generation S-Class. “Additional sales momentum will be generated over the next few weeks by the new E-Class estate, which reached the dealerships on November 21 and has been a big hit with customers,” Schmidt added.
Turning to individual markets, Mercedes-Benz once again posted record sales in China, which is the fourth-largest market for the brand’s vehicles. A total of 8,700 passenger cars were delivered in China last month, nearly three times the number sold in November 2008. Mercedes-Benz has grown faster than any other premium brand in China. Mercedes-Benz also delivered more vehicles than ever before in the Asia/Pacific region as a whole last month. In fact, it nearly doubled its result compared with November 2008 by selling 17,300 units. A record number of deliveries were recorded by the brand in Australia as well, where sales of 1,700 units represented an increase of 66 percent (November 2008: 1,000 units).
Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles were up 81 percent in the Brazilian growth market and 25 percent in India. The brand increased its sales in Russia by three percent last month, mainly due to the new E-Class, whose sales more than doubled, and the double-digit sales growth recorded for the S-Class.
Deliveries in the U.S. bucked the market trend, and increased significantly by 19 percent to 16,800 units (November 2008: 14,100). Mercedes-Benz thus maintained its position as the strongest German premium brand on the U.S. market. Growth in the U.S. was driven primarily by the new E-Class, sales of which doubled to 4,800 units, as well as by the new-generation S-Class, whose sales increased significantly (plus12 percent). The GLK remains the most vehicle in its class ahead of the premium competitors with 1,700 vehicles sold in November. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz posted another sales record in Canada in November, increasing deliveries by 26 percent to 2,100 passenger vehicles (November 2008: 1,600).
Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles on the brand’s home German market in November totaled 22,800 units, an increase of three percent (November 2008: 22,100). Positive sales developments in Germany were achieved with the E-Class sedan, deliveries of which doubled in November compared to the prior year, as well as with the C-Class sedan (plus 10 percent) and the A-Class (plus 19 percent). Mercedes-Benz increased deliveries in Western Europe (excluding Germany) by 12 percent in November, and was able to gain additional market share in many countries. Sales in the UK doubled to 6,200 passenger cars, while in France they were up by two percent, in Belgium by 18 percent, and in Sweden by 20 percent.
The new E-Class continued to perform well in November. In fact, the sedan maintained its market leadership through a doubling of worldwide deliveries to 15,700 units. Here, double-digit growth was recorded in nearly all markets. The new-generation S-Class also recorded strong growth in November, with worldwide deliveries increasing by 35 percent to 5,500 units. The new S-Class was the best-selling sedan in its segment. Particularly high growth rates for the model were recorded in China, where the number of vehicles sold tripled to 2,000. Sales of the new S-Class were also up in Western Europe (plus 22 percent) and Russia (plus 16 percent) last month.
The C-Class sedan recorded a six percent increase in deliveries last month, to 18,200 units (November 2008: 17,300), thus maintaining its position as the market leader in its segment since the beginning of the year. Worldwide sales of Mercedes-Benz SUVs rose in November, by 12 percent to 15,700 units (November 2008: 14,000). Very popular among customers is the GLK, which posted double-digit sales growth in many Western European markets in November. Worldwide deliveries of the A- and B-Class rose seven percent last month, to 18,500 units (November 2008: 17,300). This was largely due to the high rates of growth posted in many Western European markets and the successful launch of the B-Class in China in January 2009.
The smart brand sold 9,800 vehicles worldwide last month and succeeded in stabilize its sales (November 2008: 10,100 vehicles, minus four percent).The sales result for smart was largely due to growth in Germany (+20 percent), the UK (+ 30 percent), and Italy (+17 percent), as well as positive developments in China and Brazil.
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November 2009
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% change
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Jan.-November 2009
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% change
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|
|
Mercedes-Benz
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88,600
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+19.1
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914,700
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-11.6
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|
smart*
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9,800
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-3.8
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107,000
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-13.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mercedes-Benz Cars
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98,400
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+16.4
|
1,021,700
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-11.8
|
|
Western Europe
|
54,100
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+7.3
|
588,400
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-13.9
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|
- of which Germany
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25,500
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+4.4
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273,300
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-10.9
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|
NAFTA
|
20,100
|
+11.2
|
213,800
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-16.8
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|
- of which U.S.
|
17,400
|
+9.1
|
184,100
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-19.5
|
|
Asia/Pacific
|
17,600
|
+81.9
|
148,200
|
+8.8
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|
- of which Japan
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2,000
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-3.2
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25,200
|
-26.2
|
|
- of which China (incl. Hong Kong)
|
8,900
|
+210.2
|
62,200
|
+59.8
|
Popularity: 1% [?]
Daimler Financial Services launches business in the United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi / Berlin
,
Oct 07, 2009
*Joint venture with Mercedes-Benz importers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai — the Al Fahim Group and Gargash Enterprises
*The new companies Mercedes-Benz Finance Middle East and Mercedes-Benz Leasing Middle East offer financial services for passenger cars and commercial vehicles
*Medium-term target: Contract Volume of EUR300 million
Daimler Financial Services AG, headquartered in Berlin, is expanding its global presence to include the Middle East growth region. Toward this end, the company announced the official opening of Mercedes-Benz Finance Middle East and Mercedes-Benz Leasing Middle East on October 7, 2009 at a press conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Both new companies are part of a joint venture between Daimler Financial Services and the Al Fahim Group, owners of Emirates Motor Company, the authorized Mercedes-Benz distributor in the Abu Dhabi Emirate as well as Gargash Enterprises, the official distributor of Mercedes-Benz Cars in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.
The new companies are headquartered in Dubai and offer loans and leasing to private and business customers for new and pre-owned passenger cars and commercial vehicles, including a shari’a compliant Islamic finance product. This enables Mercedes-Benz dealers in the United Arab Emirates to now provide their customers with the complete range of financial services.
“Our presence in the United Arab Emirates is of high strategic importance for Daimler Financial Services,” said Daimler Financial Services CEO Juergen Walker at a press conference in Abu Dhabi. “It makes us the first automaker to have its own finance and leasing company in the United Arab Emirates. Once we have successfully established our business operations here, in the mid-term we will decide about offering financial services in other Middle Eastern markets as well.”
The United Arab Emirates represent the most important passenger car market in the region Middle East for Mercedes-Benz. In 2008, Mercedes-Benz sold 7,800 passenger cars and 3,100 commercial vehicles in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.
Mr. Andreas Ernst, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Finance and Mercedes-Benz Leasing, said that the medium-term goal of the new companies was to achieve a contract volume of more than EUR300 million in the United Arab Emirates in three to five years: “To meet this target, we will be offering a comprehensive range of financial services from a single source to meet the needs of private or business customers. And we will support our dealerships with an electronic point-of-sale system that will result in faster loan decisions and a customer-friendly process.”
Mr. Rashed A. J. Al Fahim, Chairman of the Al Fahim Group, welcomed the formation of the joint venture and looked forward to a positive future: “We are confident and expect stronger Mercedes-Benz sales. The start of our jointly owned financial companies will further boost the attractiveness of the Mercedes-Benz brand in Abu Dhabi.”
Mr. Abdul Jabbar Gargash, Executive Director of Gargash Enterprises looked forward to the start of the new businesses: “For the first time, we can now provide our Mercedes-Benz customers in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates with a broad range of financial services products that make owning a new or used Mercedes-Benz the easiest it has ever been.”
With its new financial services in the United Arab Emirates, Daimler Financial Services AG has further expanded its global presence. The Daimler Group’s international provider of financial services employs about 6,800 people and is represented in more than 40 countries. The company currently finances or leases one third of all vehicles produced by Daimler worldwide and manages a contract volume of EUR60 billion.
Emirates Motor Company
As the flagship company of the Al Fahim Group, Emirates Motor Company(EMC) symbolizes the phenomenal growth and success that the Group has achieved. As one of the Middle East’s leading distributors of Mercedes-Benz, EMC is synonymous with immaculate quality in true Mercedes-Benz tradition. EMC has been the general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Abu Dhabi since 1962. From the beginning, dedicated customer service has played a major role in the company’s success. EMC is also the first Mercedes-Benz distributor in the Middle East to be awarded the ISO 9002 certification. EMC markets, distributes and services all Mercedes-Benz vehicles from luxury saloons to the largest trucks and provides qualified service with the constant availability of genuine parts. Operations in Abu Dhabi are carried out from purpose-built premises with a well-integrated network of showrooms, offices, parts depots and workshop.
Gargash Enterprises
Gargash Enterprises has been the authorized Mercedes-Benz distributor in Dubai since 1958 and understands the special requirements for operating in the U.A.E. Customers are guaranteed not just-premium-quality products, but also top-notch after sales services. The company employs over 1,000 staff members and has become one of the largest premium brands in the U.A.E. Gargash Enterprises is a full-service Mercedes-Benz operation with five dealerships across Dubai, Sharjah and Northern Emirates, all professionally managed to satisfy the needs of the consumer. Gargash Enterprises also delivers a car rental service through its SIXT, which operates from Dubai International Airport, Sharjah International Airport, and Ras AL Khaimah. Furthermore, through its Silver Star Rental division, established in 2006, Gargash Enterprises offers customers highly acclaimed Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles on short and long term rental basis.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Daimler champions safety for commercial vehicles
Stuttgart
,
Sep 24, 2009
*10,000th Active Brake Assist system handed over
*110,000 assistance systems on the road
*Assistance systems can reduce accident figures
Daimler AG has delivered the 10,000th Mercedes-Benz truck equipped with the Active Brake Assist feature for emergency braking. Hubert Troska, head of Mercedes-Benz’s trucks division, handed over the anniversary vehicle, an Actros 1841 LS, to Robert Gammisch today. Mr Gammisch is managing director of the Log-In transport company, one of the largest logistics operators in the Czech Republic. “The Safety Truck brings us a big step closer to our vision of accident-free driving. Safety systems demonstrably help to reduce the number of accidents,” observed Andreas Renschler, from the Board of Management of Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, at the handover. Robert Gammisch added: “I’m convinced that safety systems make economic sense, too. Every accident puts human lives at risk, costs money and means lost revenue. With this in mind, we will continue to opt for safety features when ordering new vehicles.”
The “Active Brake Assist” emergency braking function was launched in 2006, since when it has proven its worth in a combined total of over a billion kilometres on the road. Unparalleled in the industry, the system is available for Mercedes-Benz trucks. It has recently been introduced for touring coaches of the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands as well. This active safety system is capable of saving human lives. When an acute danger of a rear-end collision arises, e.g. when a vehicle ahead is moving very slowly, Active Brake Assist initiates emergency braking automatically, if the driver fails to react in time. Truck drivers have since described traffic situations in which Active Brake Assist saved them from an accident.
For all its efficiency on the road, Active Brake Assist’s success on the market was far from certain at the time of its introduction, as the demand for the other assistance systems which were available from 1998/1999, such as roll control, Lane Assistant, stability control (ESP) and adaptive cruise control was initially restrained. The breakthrough came with the initiative to introduce a whole bundle of measures in 2006: at a road show featuring the Safety Truck, Safety Coach and Safety Van which passed through a dozen European countries, Daimler showcased the effectiveness of such systems to customers, media, insurance companies, employers’ liability insurance associations and politicians. Individual insurance companies and employers’ liability insurance associations now offer discounts on premiums when vehicles are equipped with such features. Allianz, Daimler and Dekra have also helped to promote the introduction of these safety features with the “Safety Plus” initiative. The combination of individual systems into safety packages, such as Mercedes-Benz offers in various markets today, harbours price advantages for customers.
As a result, a marked increase in demand is to be observed since 2006. More than 90,000 of the five available active assistance systems have been delivered in Mercedes-Benz trucks to date – a 100 percent increase on the figure at the end of 2006. In addition, around 20,000 assistance systems have been installed in buses belonging to the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands. Despite the immense cost pressure imposed by the current economic crisis, the share of vehicles equipped with the Active Brake Assist system has risen for trucks by 32 percent since last year alone, while the proportion of orders for Active Brake Assist among sales of new coaches is only just short of 70%. This strong demand is concentrated primarily in Germany and Switzerland. Mercedes-Benz thus now aims to attract customers as road safety partners in other European countries and to offer safety systems at particularly favourable promotional prices. “Despite princely growth rates, there is no cause for euphoria,” said Andreas Renschler. “Such safety systems need to be considerably more widespread, if we are to enhance traffic safety on a sustained basis. These technologies work. Since their initial launch in 2000 the proportion of goods vehicles involved in traffic accidents which result in injury has fallen by 17 percent.”
This was also confirmed by the experts from the field of politics, insurance companies, employers’ liability insurance associations and transport companies at the road traffic symposium which was held to mark the delivery of the 10,000th Active Brake Assist system. And truck driver Marcus Dobberke commented: “I wouldn’t be here with you today if Active Brake Assist hadn’t taken over and slowed my rear-end collision down to just 15 km/h. If I had hit the rear of the car which suddenly pulled out in front of me without applying the brakes, instead of a mere case of damage to the tailgate the small child on the rear seat would not have survived this impact. Thanks to Active Brake Assist, the child did not suffer so much as a scratch.”
DEKRA’s 2009 traffic safety report on trucks states that the frequency of truck accidents in Germany in relation to mileage covered has fallen by over 70 percent since 1970, thanks to great progress achieved by manufacturers in the area of driver assistance systems, for example. The number of road users incurring serious injuries in truck accidents fell by more than 36% in the period from 1992 to 2007, while the number of fatalities dropped by over 40%.
“The EU will nevertheless fail to achieve its target of halving the number of deaths on the road by 2010,” says Andreas Renschler. “We thus intend to remain a driving force in establishing efficient technologies on the market, and call on all forces in society to play their part. We need even more support from other partners, from more insurance companies and from political circles.”
The safety assistance systems which are available today are capable of counteracting the most common forms of accidents. These are rear-end collisions (33%) and accidents caused by vehicles deviating from their lanes or leaving the carriageway (39%).
The Lane Assistant warns the driver when the vehicle is in danger of drifting out of its lane. When there is an indication that the truck is unintentionally leaving its lane, a pronounced clattering noise is emitted from the radio loudspeakers on the corresponding side, prompting the driver to steer intuitively in the opposite direction.
The electronic stability program which features in cars, vans and buses goes by the name of “stability control” in trucks. It is an active driving safety system which reduces the danger of articulated vehicles skidding during cornering or evasive manoeuvres. The stability control system also detects incipient tilting by semi-trailers. The risk of a semi-trailer tipping over is reduced substantially, within the bounds of what is physically possible.
Roll control for platform vehicles comes into its own when transporting loads with a high centre of gravity. It adjusts the damping hardness to the given driving situation and road surface conditions in a matter of milliseconds. The vehicle is stabilised and continues its journey in safety.
Adaptive cruise control keeps the vehicle at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. It is an electronic assistance system which adapts the vehicle’s speed to the traffic situation automatically. Should the distance from the vehicle ahead become too small for any reason, this electronic system will intervene to adjust the speed control function accordingly.
Active Brake Assist (emergency braking assistant) is based on the radar system of the adaptive cruise control facility. In contrast to adaptive cruise control, Active Brake Assist initiates emergency braking automatically in the event of an acute danger of the vehicle colliding with the rear of the vehicle ahead. While Active Brake Assist cannot always actively prevent accidents, by applying full braking power it will always reduce the speed of collision and thus the severity of any consequences of an accident.
Use of the assistance systems is encouraged by price advantages of around 30% for the Basic, Classic and Top Safety packages in comparison to the total value of the individual components making up the packages, for example. Other benefits conducive to use of the systems include premium discounts from individual insurance companies such as Allianz and Daimler Insurance Service GmbH, as well as promotion by the employers’ liability insurance associations Steinbruchs Berufsgenossenschaft StBG in Germany and CRAMC (Caisse r?gionale d’assurance maladie) in France.
Daimler studied the effectiveness of these systems in a fleet test extending over twelve months in 2005/2006. For the purposes of a field test, 500 Mercedes-Benz Actros semi-trailer trucks were equipped with a safety package comprising Lane Assistant, stability control and adaptive cruise control. The incidence and severity of accidents was compared with a parallel group of 500 vehicles without the safety package. After covering around 100 million kilometres in the field test, the following findings emerged: the number of accidents resulting from the most common causes was halved for the trucks with the safety package. Where accidents did occur, the level of damage was around 90% lower.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Daimler Buses Receives Two Major Orders from Netherlands for 425 Buses
Stuttgart
,
Sep 18, 2009
*Largest contract to date for Daimler Buses in the Netherlands for 350 buses
*Additional orders for 75 urban buses with environmentally friendly natural gas drive
*Delivery of Mercedes-Benz urban and intercity buses to be concluded in December 2009
Daimler Buses has once again won two contracts, and as a result it will deliver a total of 425 buses to the Netherlands by December. The biggest contract from the Netherlands to date is for 350 Mercedes-Benz urban and intercity buses, which were ordered by Qbuzz, a private bus operator with headquarters in Amersfoort. The vehicles will be employed in the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen. The second major contract is for 75 natural gas-powered Mercedes-Benz urban buses, which were ordered by Connexxion, the Netherlands’ largest public transport company, with headquarters in Hilversum. The environmentally friendly low-emission natural gas buses will be employed in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region.
“We’re very happy about the two big orders from the Netherlands,” says Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses. “They show that our high-quality and environmentally friendly buses are also successful in economically challenging times. As a result, we will be able to fully utilize the production capacity of our European plants until the end of the year.”
Daimler Buses will manufacture Mercedes-Benz brand urban and intercity buses for the two customers. Qbuzz has ordered Citaro LE and Citaro NF solo and articulated urban buses with a low-floor design. The Citaro LE and NF solo vehicles are 12 meters long, while the Citaro NF articulated vehicles are 18 meters long, offering seating for up to 53 passengers. The economical low-emission buses are equipped with the pioneering Mercedes-Benz BlueTec SCR diesel technology and meet the Euro 5 and EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) emissions limits. Qbuzz has also ordered Mercedes-Benz Integro intercity buses, which are 12 meters long and offer seating for 47 passengers. The Mercedes-Benz Integro is an appealing and profitable solution for the bus operator, thanks to the low operating costs, high quality standards, great versatility, and long service life of the vehicle and its components. The whole contract is being financed through Daimler Financial Services Netherlands, while the EvoBus Service partner Wensink will repair and maintain the vehicles.
The other customer, Connexxion, is also focusing on environmental friendliness with its order of 75 natural gas-powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro CNG urban buses. Daimler Buses will be delivering two variants of the Citaro CNG: a solo bus measuring 12 meters and an articulated bus measuring 18 meters. The solo vehicle’s engine has an output of 185 kW (252 hp), while the articulated bus is equipped with a drive generating 240 kW (326 hp). The contract for 75 vehicles consists of 69 solo buses and six articulated buses, all of which generate very low emissions and meet the EEV standard. In total, more than 1,200 Mercedes-Benz Citaro CNG buses are in use by customers.
Popularity: 1% [?]