Daimler Trucks invests One Billion Real in Commercial Vehicle Plants in Brazil

Stuttgart / São Bernardo do Campo – On the occasion of the 19th international transport exhibition “Fenatran”, which is being held from October 28 to November 1, 2013 in São Paulo, Brazil, Daimler Trucks is announcing a new millions-heavy investment package for the commercial vehicle plants of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. Daimler plans to invest around one billion Brazilian real (the equivalent of around 300 million euro after the current exchange rate) in the next two years. The financing will be placed mainly in research and development of new products and innovative technologies, as well as in process optimizations and modernization of the two production plants São Bernardo do Campo (Federal State São Paulo) and Juiz de Fora (Federal State Minas Gerais).

Advertisement

This financing is part of an extensive investment project of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, equipped with a total budget of around 2.5 billion Brazilian real (around 750 million euro after the current exchange rate) across a six-year term extending from 2010 to 2015. Thus far, around 1.5 billion real has already been invested in the production of trucks, buses and components at the Brazilian locations.

Stefan Buchner, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Europe and Latin America, emphasized at the Mercedes-Benz press conference on Sunday in São Paulo: “Today, Brazil is the most important sales market for our trucks with the star worldwide. We have faith in the further growth potential of this important market. Therefore, we will continue to invest in new products and state-of-the-art production facilities here.”

Philipp Schiemer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, adds: “With a total volume of 2.5 billion Brazilian real and a term of six years, we have put together an extensive investment package. These investments will increase the competitive power of our company on this competitive commercial vehicles market.”

Daimler is represented in Brazil since 1956 and has established itself as a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer in the country with a marketspecific product range of Mercedes-Benz trucks, bus chassis and vans. Fifty seven years after the opening of the plant in São Bernardo do Campo, the two-millionth locally produced commercial vehicle rolled from the line in June of this year. This number is made up of around1.4 million trucks and 600,000 buses and bus chassis.

In the beginning of October, Daimler announced plans to extend the global car production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars by a new assembly plant in Iracemápolis near São Paulo. This is where the next generation of the C-Class and the GLA are to be made for the local market. According to the current planning, the first vehicles will roll off the line as early as 2016. An investment of around 170 million euro has been earmarked for expansion planned in the first stage.

Ansprechpartner: Uta Leitner
Telefon: +49 711 17 4 15 26
Fax: +49 711 17 5 20 06
E-Mail: uta.leitner@daimler.com

Ansprechpartner: Simonette Illi
Telefon: +49 711 1783326
Fax: +49 711 1751607
E-Mail: simonette.illi@daimler.com