São Paulo – The Mercedes-Benz do Brasil plant in São Bernardo do Campo (São Paulo) will supply the engines that will equip trucks sold in Africa and Middle East countries. The long-term contract goes into effect this August. The amount of units to be supplied was not made public.
According to the carmaker’s press office, Saudi Arabia and Algeria are some of the countries that will receive the Actros trucks and Arocs and Zetros off-road trucks with Brazilian-made engines. The OM 460 family engines, featuring Euro 3 emission control technology, will be shipped from the Mercedes plant in São Paulo, Brazil to Wörth, Germany, where the vehicles will be assembled.
A statement quoted Mercedes-Benz do Brasil president and Latin America CEO Philipp Schiemer as saying the Brazilian plant was picked for being a landmark when it comes to cost, quality and reliability. But there’s another reason as well: “[Mercedes-Benz do Brasil] has a tradition of making robust, resistant engines that are well-suited to the harshest conditions in cargo transportation, as is the case with Africa and the Middle East,” the executive claimed.
During development, the engines were tried out in the testing grounds of Mercedes-Benz parent company the Daimler Group in São Bernardo do Campo and in Stuttgart, Germany, as well as in roads in Brazil, Germany and the Middle East.
In addition to the engines, the Brazilian subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz has recently inked a deal to export 14 medium trucks to the United Arab Emirates. The automaker’s operation in Brazil supplies medium-sized trucks to North Africa and the Middle East since late 2015.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
