Η Freightliner, θυγατρική της Daimler, παρουσίασε στο Mid-America Trucking Show, το Revolution Innovation Concept, ένα νέο πρωτότυπο φορτηγό το οποίο δείχνει πως θα είναι τα μελλοντικά φορτηγά της εταιρίας. Το φορτηγό διαθέτει αεροδυναμικό σώμα, αλουμινένιο πλαίσιο το οποίο είναι κατά 200 κιλά λιγότερα σε σχέση με τα χαλύβδινα πλαίσια, ενώ ο κινητήρας του έχει τοποθετηθεί χαμηλότερα. Το πρωτότυπο διαθέτει έναν έξυπνο πίσω άξονα ο οποίος στέλνει αυτόματα την κίνηση είτε στους τέσσερις είτε στους 6 τροχούς. Με τον τρόπο αυτό εξοικονομείται καύσιμο.
Το πρωτότυπο διαθέτει πόρτα μόνο από την πλευρά του οδηγού, κάθισμα μόνο για τον οδηγό ενώ η καμπίνα έχει κατασκευαστεί έτσι ώστε να εξοικονομείται χώρος. Ο πίνακας του είναι εξολοκλήρου ψηφιακός ενώ στο κέντρο της κεντρικής κονσόλας υπάρχει ένα iPad.
[Πηγή: Daimler]
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Novelty and Tradition Meet at North America’s Largest CV Show: Daimler Presents the Detroit Component Brand and Celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the Freightliner Truck Brand
- At the Mid-America Trucking Show, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is presenting its full range of powertrain components produced under the Detroit brand umbrella
for the first time - DTNA is the first manufacturer in North America
to offer a fully aligned powertrain in its trucks - Daimler sees growth opportunities
in the U.S. and the NAFTA region
Stuttgart / Louisville, Kentucky – At North America’s biggest commercial vehicle exhibition, the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), Daimler Trucks North America is presenting its full range of optimally aligned commercial vehicle powertrain components – individually developed and produced by DTNA – for the first time today. Engines, transmissions, and axles will be offered in all DTNA trucks under the Detroit brand umbrella, which was first introduced to the public in October 2011. The integrated powertrain will enable Daimler’s commercial vehicle subsidiary to respond even better to customer wishes, as it boasts improved fuel efficiency, increased durability, and dynamic handling.
Today at the trucking show in Louisville, Andreas Renschler, Daimler Board of Management member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, emphasized the advantages of this approach: “The powertrain plays a key role in our worldwide use of synergies within our globally operating company. The powertrain is the heart of a truck. It not only propels the truck forward, but also constitutes more than half of the vehicle’s overall value. We will be the first truck manufacturer in the NAFTA region that offers a complete powertrain out of its own production. The Detroit brand components benefit from Daimler Trucks’ global research, development, and production activities. We can also pass these benefits on to our customers.”
Daimler Trucks has many years of experience with powertrain components in Europe and Asia, and it is now bringing this expertise to North America.
The Detroit component brand builds on the renowned Detroit Diesel engine brand and continues to offer cutting-edge diesel engines of the type Detroit DD13, DD15, and DD16, which meet the current EPA 2010 emissions standards in the U.S. The production of these environmentally friendly Detroit diesel engines is running at high capacity. The 100,000th DD engine rolled off the assembly line at the plant in Redford, Michigan, last year.
“The New Engine Generation – our portfolio of engines for heavy-duty use, which was jointly developed in Germany, Japan, and the United States – is the first global engine platform out of Daimler Trucks’ global powertrain network. The engines demonstrate the successful implementation of our global system of modular components,” states Stefan Buchner, Head of Global Powertrain, Procurement and Manufacturing Engineering Trucks. “Our extremely fuel-efficient engines are very popular in the NAFTA region. Around 95 percent of our customers now choose our engines when buying our flagship vehicle in the heavy-duty class, the Freightliner Cascadia. In a country where customers generally buy vehicles and powertrains separately, this is an indication for the direction in which the market heading.”
70th anniversary of the Freightliner brand
In addition to presenting its latest brand, Detroit, DTNA is also using the MATS as an opportunity to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Freightliner brand, which is one of the most successful suppliers of medium and heavy-duty trucks in North America.
“Since its beginnings in 1942, Freightliner has developed into one of the best-known and most respected brands in the truck industry. With its products and technologies, Freightliner set new standards for the truck market as early as 70 years ago. Since then, we have continuously set the bar higher through the development of high-performance, reliable, and comfortable vehicles,” says Martin Daum, President and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America. “We are proud of our heritage, and we are really looking forward to what the future holds in store for us.”
Freightliner’s long tradition began when the freight-forwarding operator Leland James wanted to create his own trucks for his company, Consolidated Freightways. Through the establishment of a subsidiary in 1939, James laid the groundwork for the company’s truck manufacturing operations. The unit was renamed Freightliner in 1949 and has been part of the Daimler family since 1981.
Promising market development in the NAFTA region
With its Freightliner, Western Star, and Thomas Built Buses brands, DTNA is a key driver of Daimler’s commercial vehicle division in the NAFTA region. In 2011, it sold 118,800 vehicles, representing a 50 percent increase compared to the previous year. With an increase of 15 to 20 percent, Daimler expects the North American market for medium and heavy-duty trucks to continue its very good growth in 2012.
About Daimler Trucks North America
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, is the leading medium and heavy-duty truck manufacturer
in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets vehicles in Classes 4 to 8 under the Freightliner, Western Star, and Thomas Built Buses brand names. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company.
About Daimler
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services. The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group’s focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world’s most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2011, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 271,000 people; revenue totaled €106.5 billion and EBIT amounted to €8.8 billion.
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