True to the motto “Made in Brazil for Brazil” the local Daimler subsidiary is presenting new products for the local market and for the Latin American export markets. During the Mercedes-Benz Solution Week, the company is showcasing the new products on the plant grounds in Sao Bernardo do Campo near Sao Paulo. The locally produced truck models Accelo, Atego, Axor, and Actros are designed for the special requirements of the Brazilian market, its topography, and its customer demands. The portfolio has now further been optimized with respect to comfort, fuel consumption and total cost of ownership, according to the automaker.

“Brazil is and remains one of the world’s most important commercial vehicle markets in the long term,” said Stefan Buchner, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “In this period of market weakness it is important to set the right guideposts for the time when the market kicks in again. That is why we are investing around 500 million euro in our products and innovative technologies, as well as in the optimization of our production network by 2018.”

The new products presented are the result of a previously announced investment package in order to permanently strengthen the competitiveness of Daimler commercial vehicles in Brazil. From 2014 to 2018 about 500 million euro (US$567.4 million) are being invested in new for Brazil customized products, technologies, and services, according to the automaker.

Daimler is the most often registered commercial vehicle manufacturer in Brazil with 26,300 newly registered trucks, vans, and buses since the beginning of the year. In the persistently difficult market environment the market share of Mercedes-Benz trucks as of August grew to 26.3 percent (PY 25.8 percent), according to the automaker.

In addition to the Sprinter bestseller, in October Mercedes-Benz Vans is introducing the Vito mid-size van with a view to unlocking new market potential in Brazil. The new Vito was already presented at the “Buenos Aires International Motor Show” in Argentina in June of this year. The market launches of the Vito in Latin America are part of the global growth strategy “Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global.” The goal of the strategy is to continue to build up the technological leadership, to expand already existing activities and to tap into new growth potential outside the European core markets. In this context, the Vito has also been available in the USA since September under the name of “Metris,” according to the automaker.

Besides the optimized truck products for the Brazilian market, Daimler is also investing in further developed telematics solutions by FleetBoard. A total of 40 million real (US$10 million) has flown into the improved fleet management system equipped with new theft-tracking features, which enable siting stolen vehicles and freight in Brazil. In addition, shipping operators are also profiting from the use of the fleet management system with an operating cost reduction of up to 15 percent. In Brazil, FleetBoard is available for the entire truck portfolio, according to the automaker.