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smart continues its mobility concept further: market launch for the smart escooter in 2014

By Adji | Published Thursday, 10 May 2012

smart will launch the escooter on the market in 2014. For smart, this is the next logical step in implementing its comprehensive concept for future urban mobility. “The decision in favor of the escooter has been made,” announced Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, on the sidelines of the international dealer meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future,” he added.

Back in 2010, smart unveiled a comprehensive portfolio of electric products for urban transport at the Paris Motor Show. In addition to the smart fortwo electric drive as a coupé and a convertible, it includes the smart ebike and the escooter. smart is now consistently turning this concept into reality: the smart fortwo electric drive will be launched on the market in summer 2012, and delivery to customers of the first ebikes is just beginning. The fully electric escooter will be premiered within the next two years. The design of the escooter study is being developed and refined further. With its many innovative and trendsetting features, the new product will be unmistakably a genuine smart. Just like the ebike, the escooter will also be available for customers who (as yet) have no driver’s license for cars as a smart on two wheels.

“Anyone who thinks of urban mobility has to think of smart,” says Dr. Annette Winkler, the head of smart. “We offer the perfect zero-emissions vehicle for every requirement, and with our products, electric travel is a lot of fun too.”

A number of external studies and the awards that the brand has recently won illustrate how much the ideas from smart are in tune with today’s demands for individual urban mobility.

“We are especially proud that the ebike received the red dot award, and that our comprehensive mobility concept won the 2012 iF product design award,” Dr. Winkler added.

The judging panel for the red dot awards gave the coveted “best of the best” predicate to the series production version of the 2012 smart ebike. This year, the iF product design award, which has been internationally recognised since 1953, singled out the smart mobility concept, consisting of the smart electric drive, the smart ebike, and the smart escooter, as an excellent overall concept for urban mobility.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in 2014, escooter, launch, market, smart | Leave a comment

Available at dealerships from 31 March 2012: Market launch of the new Mercedes-Benz SL

By Adji | Published Sunday, 1 April 2012

Supreme sportiness, style and comfort define the new SL Roadster from Mercedes-Benz, which is available from Mercedes-Benz sales partners from 31 March 2012. Its body and body-in-white have been produced as all-aluminium constructions for the first time. At the market launch, there is a choice of two new powerful 6- and 8-cylinder engines featuring cutting-edge injection technology, with ECO start/stop function as standard. These engines are up to 29 percent more fuel-efficient than their predecessors. Two world-firsts are also being premiered in the new SL – the Frontbass system for the ultimate in listening pleasure even with the roof open and the MAGIC VISION CONTROL wiper/washer system, which applies the water to the windscreen directly from the wiper blade.

The new generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL takes the meaning of the famous abbreviation "SL" – super-light – quite literally.Systematic weight reduction is one of the outstanding structural design features of the new SL. Dr Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Management Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales and Marketing, elaborates: "It was around 60 years ago that we celebrated the successful launch of our first super-light sports car. Since then, every generation of the SL has set new standards. And with the new model we are continuing this tradition."

The new SL sees Mercedes-Benz introducing an all-aluminium body-in-white into volume production for the first time. Together with a host of other intelligent improvements to points of detail, this leads to an overall weight reduction of up to 140 kilograms in comparison to the predecessor model. The aluminium structure is also superior to the predecessor's steel design in terms of rigidity, safety and comfort. "The new SL is the safest roadster in the world!" says Schmidt.

Environmental Certificate for the new Mercedes-Benz SL

The neutral inspectors from the TÜV Süd technical inspection authority have confirmed the high environmental compatibility of the new Mercedes-Benz SL in good time for the market launch, duly awarding the sporty and stylish Roadster the Environmental Certificate in accordance with ISO standard TR 14062. This certification is based on an exemplary life-cycle assessment for the SL, which entailed a comprehensive analysis of the Roadster's environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle – from production through extensive service to recycling at the end of its life.The results make good reading: the new SL-Class reveals advantages over the previous model in all impact categories. Primary energy requirements have been reduced by 23% and NOx emissions by 16% over the entire life cycle, for example. In addition, the new SL incorporates a higher percentage of high-quality recyclates and renewable raw materials. For the first time in automotive engineering, a secondary alloy has been qualified for aluminium inner panels in the body-in-white, in order to minimise the environmental impact in the manufacturing process. This goes far beyond the legal requirements. The Environmental Certificate and supplementary information are made available to the public in the "Life Cycle" documentation series, which is retrievable at http://www.mercedes-benz.com . In addition to the SL, the models of the A-, B-, C-, E-, M- and S-Class, the GLK, the SLK and the CLS have also received the Environmental Certificate from TÜV Süd.

Prices in Germany for the new Mercedes-Benz SL incl.19 % VAT:

- SL 350 93,534 euros
- SL 500 117,096 euros

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in 2012, launch, market, mbnews, mercedes-benz, new, R 231, SL | Leave a comment

Daimler Trucks Aims to Increase Unit Sales and Market Share in 2012

By Adji | Published Tuesday, 20 March 2012

In 2012 Daimler Trucks aims to build on the successes it posted last year. After sales and revenues had each increased by 20% in 2011, and the results even increased by twice this amount, the division aims to boost its unit sales further this year and achieve Earnings before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) that are at least as high as 2011.

Although the markets in NAFTA and Asia did very well in the first months of 2012, the market situation is rather difficult in Europe and in particular in Latin America. Daimler Trucks expects conditions to improve in the second half of the year. Daimler Trucks is on track to reach its strategic return on sales target of 8% as measured across the business cycle. The target figure is a sustainable average that the division aims to achieve from 2013 on.

“In 2012 we will once again prove that our Global Excellence Strategy is working well. We operate worldwide, our by now five truck brands offer the right products for every region, and we are now just hitting our stride in the growth markets of India and China”, said Andreas Renschler, the Daimler Board of Management member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, in Stuttgart. The division aims to increase its market share in all regions.

A few weeks ago Daimler Trucks presented the wide range of products offered by the new truck brand BharatBenz in India. These “Made in India” trucks are manufactured in Chennai in the southern part of the country. A total of €700 million was invested in the facility, where the first series-produced vehicles will begin leaving the plant this fall. In the medium term up to 70,000 units can be produced in India each year, and the brand’s product lineup will cover the entire range of vehicles, from light-duty to heavy-duty trucks. At the same time as the subsidiary Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) makes its preparations for the launch of series production, it is also setting up a sales network, which will consist of around 70 dealerships this year.

In December 2011 the Chinese government gave its final approval for the Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Ltd., Daimler’s joint venture with the local truck manufacturer Foton. The two companies will cooperate on producing medium and heavy-duty trucks for the world’s largest commercial vehicle market. These trucks will be sold under the well-established Auman brand. The joint venture will have an annual production capacity of 160,000 units, and the first jointly manufactured truck is scheduled to roll off the assembly line in the third quarter of the year. The Chinese market for medium and heavy-duty trucks is expected to grow to around 1.5 million units by 2020, compared to around 1.2 million units in 2010.

The outlook for the Indian and Chinese truck markets is therefore very promising for the years ahead. This applies especially to the modern domestic segment, in which both BharatBenz and Auman trucks are offered. According to experts, this segment will account for around half of the global truck market in 2020. The quality of modern domestic trucks is much higher than that of the “low cost” vehicles that are still common in many growth markets. Although the new trucks are more robust than these “low cost” vehicles, their technology is not comparable to that of the premium vehicles from the triad markets. “The rise in truck standards in the growth markets is opening up new opportunities for us — not only for our existing vehicles and components, but also for our new, locally manufactured products,” Renschler said.

The product offensive in the modern domestic segment is meant to help Daimler Trucks attain its medium-term sales targets, amounting to about 500,000 trucks worldwide in 2013 and more than 700,000 units per year by the end of the decade.
In another BRIC country, Russia, the cooperation between Daimler Trucks and the local market leader for heavy-duty trucks, Kamaz, is going well. Sales of Mercedes-Benz truck and Fuso Canter models rose sharply in Russia after the Chelny plant in the Russian republic of Tatarstan began assembling these vehicles in 2010. As a result, more than 1,200 Fuso Canter and around 2,800 Mercedes-Benz trucks had been sold in Russia by the end of 2011.

In order to offer customers in Europe’s largest truck market a customized product bearing the familiar Kamaz brand, the partners presented their first joint truck in Moscow last fall. The vehicle is a Kamaz that contains Daimler components which enable it to comply with the Euro V emissions standard. The truck will be launched on the Russian market in 2014.

The expansion of the division’s global presence and the massive increase in local manufacturing operations are rounding out Daimler’s global truck organization, and the advantages of this arrangement are becoming more apparent day by day. An example of this is the division’s new Global Powertrain, Procurement and Manufacturing Engineering Trucks unit, which bundles the worldwide activities in these fields.

Because the powertrain accounts for more than half of the total costs of a truck, the synergy benefits are obvious. An example of this is the new heavy-duty engine family, in which Daimler invested more than €1 billion. This new generation of engines has streamlined the previous portfolio of four engine families from four plants down to just one global engine platform for four displacement variants, which is manufactured at two locations.

After the engines were introduced at Fuso in Japan and Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), a European adaptation of this engine is now also used to power the new Actros. Mercedes-Benz’ new OM47x engine generation, which is already available in the new Actros, meets the Euro VI emissions standard, which will go into effect in 2014. The engines share more than 80% of their components worldwide. This results in corresponding benefits due to economies of scale.

The division’s platform and module strategy will extend beyond the powertrain, affecting many more components than just the engines, transmissions, axles, and exhaust treatment systems. The Axor cab, for example, will also be installed in the Indian BharatBenz models in the future.

Daimler Trucks’ platform and module strategy allows it to generate extensive synergies, which will help the division to reach its margin goals. “The message is clear: We aim to become the regional champion wherever we enter the market, and thus also become Number 1 worldwide in our industry,” said Renschler. “Ultimately we want to achieve a sustained average return on sales of 8% per year beginning in 2013 and extending across the business cycle.”

In 2011 Daimler Trucks made considerable progress toward achieving this goal. The return on sales rose to 6.5% from 5.5% in 2010. The return on sales would have even risen to 6.9% had it not been for €32 million in write-offs from the involvement in Kamaz and one-time expenses of €70 million caused by the natural disaster in Japan.

However, Daimler Trucks significantly increased sales, revenues, and earnings compared to the prior year. Vehicle sales substantially exceeded the prior year’s figures in the division’s core regions (NAFTA, Europe, Asia, and Latin America). Total sales worldwide rose by 20% to 425,800 units. Revenues also increased by 20%, to €28.8 billion, while earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) jumped twice as much, or over 40%, to €1.9 billion.

All of the division’s operating units contributed to these good results, with Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) providing the biggest boost. DTNA’s sales skyrocketed by 50% to 118,800 units last year. Demand was particulary driven by the need to renew the aged truck fleets. For the past three decades, the average age of trucks in North America has not been as high as it is today. Thanks to the outstanding market response to its product lineup, DTNA was able to further strengthen its leading position in the segment of vehicles in Classes 6 to 8, where it now has a market share of 31.9% (2010: 31.6%).

Total sales of Trucks Europe/Latin America rose substantially once again, climbing to 159,300 units (2010: 135,200). Sales were therefore back up to the high pre-crisis level achieved in 2007. Western Europe contributed considerably to sales growth. Daimler Trucks once again led the market for medium and heavy-duty trucks there, boosting sales by 14% to 57,100 units. Although the division’s market share dropped slightly in Europe, the full availability of the new Actros “Truck of the Year 2012” in all of the key markets will once again push up market share this year.

Fuso’s performance is particularly impressive. Contrary to the expectations that still prevailed in mid-2011, Fuso was able to increase sales throughout the year by 5% to 147,700 units, despite the disruptions resulting from the natural disaster in Japan in March 2011. The increase was due to the rapid progress of reconstruction work in Japan after the natural disaster, which led to increased transportation needs and thus to a greater demand for commercial vehicles. In Japan itself, Fuso increased truck sales by 9% to 27,000 units.

At 61,900 vehicles, Daimler Trucks achieved a new sales record in Latin America. Despite intense competition, sales remained at the previous year’s high level of 44,100 vehicles in the region’s biggest market, Brazil. Vehicle production in the region was also at a record level.

Daimler Trucks has no intention to slacken its efforts after achieving these successes. The division’s Shaping Future Transportation initiative brings together a wide range of technologies and services that not only make commercial vehicles safer, more economical, and more environmentally friendly, but will also contribute substantially to Daimler Trucks’ future success. The CleanDrive concepts, for example, help to drastically reduce commercial vehicles’ fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions.

Daimler Trucks has already put more than 500,000 environmentally friendly BlueTec trucks featuring SCR technology on the road. In addition, it has delivered more than 8,000 vehicles with alternative drive systems, including around 2,700 hybrid trucks. What’s more, the new, fourth generation of the Mercedes-Benz Actros is the world’s first long-haulage truck to rigorously meet the future Euro VI emissions standard. Despite the fact that this standard represents a big technological challenge, the new truck also consumes far less fuel than its predecessor.

Fuel consumption isn’t the only important issue for truck customers, however; the total cost of ownership is also a primary concern. These costs can be reduced by a number of truck-related services, including customized financing offers (Daimler Trucks Financial), the renting of trucks at short notice to cover peaks in transportation demand (Mercedes-Benz CharterWay), electronic assistance systems that make workshop stays as short as possible, and technology for managing entire truck fleets (FleetBoard).

These services become especially important for customers in times of economic uncertainty. Services, after-sales activities, and telematics systems now account for around 20% of Daimler Trucks’ revenues.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in 2012, daimler, increase, market, mercedes-benz, sales, share, trucks, unit | Leave a comment

Market launch of new model generations: New B- and M-Class now at dealers

By Adji | Published Tuesday, 15 November 2011

The first vehicles from the new B-Class and new M-Class ranges will be going out to customers from 19 November. It has been possible to order these models since July and September respectively. Even prior to the dealer launch, the customer response has been outstanding. "The introduction of the new B-Class and the new M-Class brings two important models to the market, each of which raises the bar in its segment that little bit further. We have every confidence that they will continue to build on the success of their predecessors and help generate further momentum in terms of sales", emphasised Dr Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The new B-Class: premium is not a matter of size

Since 2005 more than 700,000 customers have taken delivery of a B-Class. With about a third of worldwide sales since the beginning of the year having been made in Germany, this represents its biggest market, followed by China, where the B-Class was introduced with great success in 2009.

The new M-Class: improved efficiency and an exceptional level of safety

With altogether more than 1.2 million units sold, the M-Class is the most successful SUV in its segment. Since its market launch in 2005, more than half a million customers have opted for the most recent model generation and, in spite of a model change being imminent, sales in October increased by 22.2% percent, making the M-Class leader in its market segment. The biggest sales market is the US, with a share of approx. 40 percent since the start of 2011, followed by China and Germany.

One of the most impressive features of this third generation of the Mercedes-Benz
M-Class is its outstanding energy efficiency. The fuel consumption of the new models lies, on average, 25 percent below that of their predecessors. The fuel-efficiency champion is the ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC, which gets by with an NEDC consumption of just 6.0 l/100 km (158 g CO2/km).

Further strengths of the premium SUV with permanent all-wheel drive include exceptional safety and well-balanced ride comfort as well as excellent driving dynamics both on and off the road. What is more, the ML features an array of new chassis developments and innovative dynamic handling control systems which further enhance both driving enjoyment and handling safety.

Source: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in b-class, launch, m-class, market, mercedes-benz, new | Leave a comment

Ready, Set, Go! 450 New Mercedes-Benz Actros Trucks Hit the Road

By Adji | Published Thursday, 10 November 2011

To prepare for the launch of the new Mercedes-Benz Actros at Mercedes-Benz sales partners and dealerships on November 12, 2011, an impressive star tour was held today, beginning at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. Starting at 10 a.m., one of the 450 new Mercedes-Benz Actros demonstration vehicles left the world’s largest truck plant every 40 seconds.

The new Actros tractor trailers left the facility in pairs via a dual ramp. The vehicles are being driven to the various showrooms by Mercedes-Benz truck salespeople from all over Germany.

The sequence of departures was based on the final destination: those with the longest trips started first.

“We are extremely proud of the new Actros, which is the result of more than ten years of hard work and great dedication,” says Hubertus Troska, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “I’m delighted that we are today sending the truck on its way so that it can fascinate sales partners and customers throughout Germany.”

The fourth generation Mercedes-Benz Actros, which is about to hit the road, is consistently economical, comfortable, safe, and environmentally friendly. The new design further increases the appeal of Mercedes-Benz’ new flagship truck. The Actros is the world’s most successful heavy-duty truck, with sales of more than 700,000 vehicles since the launch in 1996.

The new Actros was redeveloped from scratch, enabling Daimler to further improve the successful truck model. The vehicle not only improves business operators’ bottom line by cutting fuel consumption; it also reduces the strain on drivers by boosting handling and ride comfort. In addition, it already meets the stringent Euro VI emissions limits. Compared to the previous Actros, which has long since proved its worth, the new model consumes six to seven percent less fuel in the Euro V variant, and three to four percent less fuel in the Euro VI version. The vehicle is the result of more than ten years of hard work, over 20 million test driving kilometers, and more than €2 billion spent on development and production technology.