Mercedes-Benz Trucks Feature Blue-Tec Technology

Stuttgart, Jul 03, 2007; The DaimlerChrysler Truck Group has posted an outstanding number of orders for Mercedes-Benz Blue-Tec trucks. Customers from all over Europe have placed more than 100,000 orders for the vehicles since Mercedes-Benz became the world’s first supplier to introduce the innovative diesel system in early 2005. A total of 80,000 Blue-Tec trucks are currently on the road, with more than 95 percent of them already meeting the Euro 5 emissions limits that will take effect from October 2009.

“Our Mercedes-Benz trucks make us a pioneer in this field as well as the most successful supplier of this innovative diesel technology,” said Andreas Renschler, DaimlerChrysler Board of Management member responsible for the Truck Group. “Mercedes-Benz was the first truck brand to systematically switch to Euro 4- and Euro 5-compatible engines. We began this process with the Actros, and followed it up with the Axor, the Atego, the Econic, and the Unimog. The more than 100,000 orders we have received to date demonstrate that early introduction of Blue-Tec has created considerable added value for our customers.” Since early 2005, Mercedes-Benz has been gradually incorporating Blue-Tec into its product range, beginning with long-haul trucks. The technology was available to customers long before the new emissions limits became binding. Since then, most other European truck manufacturers have adopted the Blue-Tec technology featuring SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) exhaust treatment with the use of the additive AdBlue. And with an eye to the coming implementation of Euro 5, all manufacturers are now using SCR.

Blue-Tec diesel technology offers a variety of benefits. In addition to satisfying the Euro 4 emissions standards and the future Euro 5 limits, it also boosts profitability. “Blue-Tec enables our customers to benefit from government-sponsored incentives,” said Hubertus Troska, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks (Europe/Latin America). “And when Blue-Tec is used in combination with advanced engine technology, it ensures that all fuel is optimally utilized. Depending on the actual engine variant, this results not only in increased power but also reduced fuel consumption.” Another benefit of Blue-Tec is that it can increase a truck’s resale value, which means customers using this technology can operate more economically overall.

The DaimlerChrysler Truck Group is a division of DaimlerChrysler AG and the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The Truck Group and its five leading brands - Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Fuso - have more than 50 locations in Western Europe, Asia, the NAFTA region, and Latin America. The Truck Group sold 537,000 trucks worldwide last year.