Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/São Bernardo do Campo/Brasilia, Germany/Brazil, Mar 30, 2009

* Strong market position in Brazil

* Actros was elected “Truck of the year” by journalists of 21 countries

On the basis of the success of the heavy-duty truck Mercedes-Benz Actros in the mining sector – the vehicle was brought to the Brazilian market last year and rapidly got recognized by its strength, robustness, resistance and state of the art technology. Mercedes-Benz brings now to the country a new generation model of this products line, Actros 4844 8x4, a dump truck version, appropriated also to the civil engineering works. Especially up-to-date assistance systems like the Telligent®-Braking System with ABS and ASR provide the driver with effective support for more safety and efficiency.


Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles have a long tradition in Brazil and a strong market position there since more than 50 years. In 2008, Mercedes-Benz achieved a total market share of 29.5% in the medium- and heavy-duty truck segment. The Brazilian truck market in this segment grew significantly until the end of 2008. Due to capacity bottlenecks, Mercedes-Benz’s market share did not increase in the same range. In Brazil, most sales are made with the Mercedes-Benz Axor and the Mercedes-Benz Accelo while the Actros covers special demands and is used mainly in the mining industry.

The third generation of Actros truck family has been further improved with 37 individual measures relating to economy, comfort, safety and design. As a first in this market segment, the fully automated Mercedes PowerShift transmission is now standard equipment.

Brand pledge “Trucks you can trust” creates confidence

The pledge of “Trucks you can trust” is derived from the high quality synonymous with Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles and is a source of motivation for the more than 40,000 people employed by the Mercedes-Benz Trucks organization worldwide. The accuracy of the claim is demonstrated day after day by the reliability and quality of the approximately 600,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks on the road in more than 100 countries around the world. The pledge is also kept by the many other types of Mercedes-Benz trucks on the road, including the Atego and the Axor, all which continue to uphold the good reputation earned by legendary Mercedes-Benz vehicles during more than 110 years of truck history.

The “Trucks you can trust” pledge is underscored by market research results in Europe, which show, for example, that of all truck models in its competitive field, the Mercedes-Benz Actros is the least likely to break down on the road. Internal assessments also confirm customer statements that Mercedes-Benz trucks also are frontrunners when it comes to vehicle availability. The number of quality complaints has been reduced by more than half since the mid-1990s.

The new Actros in Brazil

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros came to Brazil already having international acceptance. In the last Commercial Vehicles International Show of Hanover, Germany – IAA - it was elected “The Truck of the year 2009”. This title is the result of an election carried out among specialized journalists of the transportation sector that includes 21 countries in Europe that acknowledged the achievements in economy, environmental friendliness, safety and comfort offered by its innovative technology.

Each of the three generations of Actros was, at their launching, appointed as Truck of the Year. “In each generation Actros offers more benefits for the customers, ensuring more productivity in the transport and, mainly, more operational profitability for the fleet owner”, states Eustáquio Sirolli, Product Marketing Manager – Trucks, of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil.

The Actros 4844 8x4 in Brazil is equipped with the powerful electronic engine OM 501 LA. This engine has optimum performance with savings in fuel consumption as well as reduced emission rates. Furthermore, it easily meets the mining and civil engineering work demands that require mainly higher operational speeds and bigger capacity to go uphill. The design of the new Actros generation gives to the truck a visual aspect that stresses its strong and robust appearance.

The heavy truck Actros 4844 8x4 is equipped with a 16 speed transmission, and a semi-automated gear shifting system. This system, the Telligent®, makes the shifting operations more rapid, smooth, precise and safe, making the work of the driver easier, because he may keep his hand on the steering wheel for a longer time, this way he is able to concentrate in driving the truck.

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.