Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 149

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4 | The Divisions | Daimler Buses
dards were introduced in early 2012. In anticipation of this
development, many purchases that would otherwise have been
made in 2012 were concluded in 2011. With a market share
of approximately 43% (2011: 43%), we were able to clearly main-
tain our leading market position in Latin America. The stable
development of the Mexican market enabled Daimler Buses
to sell 3,500 units there, just as it had done in the prior year.
In addition, our market share of roughly 48% (2011: 50%)
once again allowed us to defend our leading market position
in Mexico last year. In the context of repositioning our North
American bus business, sales of Orion city buses were discon-
tinued in 2012.
Major orders for city buses and chassis from Brazil.
Brazil’s major cities are already renewing their bus fleets and
improving traffic infrastructures in preparation for the huge
influx of visitors and traffic expected for the World Cup soccer
championship in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. With
its order for 135 new Mercedes-Benz city buses equipped with
BlueTec 5 technology, the city of Fortaleza is just one of many
environmentally conscious municipalities that are striving
to modernize their local public transport fleets in anticipation
of these events. We also received a major order from the
Ribeirão Preto transportation company in São Paulo province
for just under 390 Mercedes-Benz bus chassis. In addition,
we will supply 2,600 school buses for the Brazilian educational
program. The chassis will be built up as school buses together
with a Brazilian bodybuilder and will be delivered in 2013.
New Mercedes-Benz Citaro named “Bus of the Year 2013.”
The new Citaro with its Euro VI-compliant engine greatly
impressed the international jury of experts who selected the
winner of the “Bus of the Year 2013” award. The new Citaro –
the first series-produced regular-service bus to comply with
Euro VI – was praised for the economical and forward-looking
transport solution it embodies. Our main goal in developing
the Citaro was to combine environmental compatibility and
economy with advances in performance, safety and comfort.
New ComfortClass 500 sets the benchmark. The Setra
brand’s new-generation ComfortClass 500 coach sets new
benchmarks for design, comfort, safety, and efficiency.
The two-axle S 515 HD, the two- and three-axle S 516 HD and
the three-axle S 517 HD were all launched in the fall of 2012.
The new aerodynamic design of the Setra ComfortClass 500
reduces fuel consumption. Aerodynamic adjustments have
lowered the bus’s wind resistance by 20%, which translates into
a 5% decrease in fuel consumption. With the help of additional
individual measures, the Setra ComfortClass 500 now boasts
a drag coefficient of 0.33, a figure unmatched in the industry.
Daimler Buses continues to work on clean drive systems.
The world’s population is steadily growing and becoming increas-
ingly urbanized. The need for mobility is therefore increasing
worldwide, and this development is affecting the climate and
the environment. Because buses will play a key role in the
mobility networks that will be required in the future, Daimler
Buses is developing pioneering drive technologies to address
the associated challenges. For example, it is optimizing vehicles
by equipping them with ultramodern combustion engines.
In particular, Daimler Buses introduced two additional Euro VI-
compliant models in 2012 – the Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Euro VI and the Setra ComfortClass 500. Euro VI emission limits
will become obligatory in early 2014, leading to a further
drastic reduction of pollutant emissions. The two buses impres-
sively demonstrated how emission reductions can be combined
with enhanced fuel economy during the Record Run Buses
2012 comparative test. During this five-day event, which was
monitored by neutral parties, five buses covered a total
distance of almost 18,000 kilometers. The emission and fuel
consumption performance of the Euro VI-compliant buses
was then compared with that of their predecessors. The antici-
pated fuel savings of 4-6% (Citaro) and 5-6% (Setra) were
not only achieved, but also significantly exceeded. In fact,
both models cut fuel consumption by more than 8% compared
to their predecessors and produced lower emissions thanks
to their compliance with Euro VI.
The Setra S 517 HD – a model of the new ComfortClass 500.