CCJ

September 2016

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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30 commercial carrier journal | september 2016 Mercedes-Benz Vans goes all in with new U.S. Sprinter plant A t a July 27 ceremony attended by U.S. Sen. (R-S.C.) Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and other dignitaries, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans broke ground on a new $500-million Sprinter manufacturing plant in North Charleston, S.C. U.S.-based production of the company's vans solidi- fies Mercedes-Benz Vans' commitment to the North American van market. When the Sprinter first arrived on U.S. shores in 2001, it operated under either the Freightliner or Dodge badges. After Daimler divorced Chrysler in 2007, the German auto- maker reintroduced the versatile van under the Mercedes-Benz name starting in 2010. Since then, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has experienced five consecutive years of record growth as part of the company's lineup. In 2015, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans sold 28,500 units in the United States, an 11 percent increase from 2014. According to Bernie Glaser, vice president and managing director of Mercedes-Benz USA Vans, 2016 year-to-date Sprinter sales through June are up another 16.5 percent. Currently, the Sprinter van and its Metris sibling are produced in Düsseldorf, Germany, disassembled and shipped to a North Charleston plant for reassembly, an inefficient but necessary process to avoid a 25 percent tariff. The new production facility, adjacent to the existing reassembly facility, eliminates the tariff and will employ up to 1,300 workers and create an additional 400 jobs at local suppliers. Michael Balke, incoming chief executive officer and director of production for Mer- cedes-Benz Vans, said the goal is to begin production before the end of the decade. When completed, the North Charleston plant will become the company's seventh van manufac- turing facility worldwide. Entry-level Metris Worker, MasterSolutions Mercedes-Benz USA Vans also announced the availability of the Metris Worker cargo and passenger vans. The Worker is the company's entry-level designation, with starting price points of $25,995 for the cargo van and $29,995 for the passenger version. It will retain the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 208 hp and 258 lb.-ft. torque and the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission. The Metris Worker cargo van is available in white, while the passenger van adds black and silver options as upgrades, primarily for customers in the limousine market. The cargo van joins the Sprinter Worker cargo van introduced earlier this year with a $32,495 MSRP. For its no-frills Sprinter Worker vans, Mercedes-Benz USA Vans also announced new chassis, engine and body configurations. Available in late 2016, the new options include a 170-inch wheelbase and high-roof configuration allowing as much as 486½ cubic feet of cargo space and a 6½-foot standing height, and a 3.0-liter V6 BlueTec turbo diesel engine with a five-speed automatic transmission in addition to the standard four-cylinder diesel/ seven-speed transmission base spec. Mercedes-Benz USA Vans also introduced MasterSolutions, a new turnkey approach to upfitting its Sprinter and Metris van models. The company has partnered with Knaphe- ide, Auto Truck Group and SmartLiner to provide a wide range of vocational options that customers can order directly from Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner dealers. – Jeff Crissey • Bendix issued a recall on more than 190,000 of its SR-5 Trailer Spring Brake Valves manufactured between Jan. 1, 2004 and March 4, 2016. The recalled valves could cause a delay in application of the spring brakes while parking, which may cause a trailer to roll away after being decoupled from a tractor. More than 39,000 trailers from 16 manufacturers were recalled. • Freightliner announced its second round of layoffs at its plant in Gas- tonia, N.C. Parent company Daimler Trucks North America cited a continu- ing slump in Class 8 truck sales. Nearly 300 Gastonia workers have been let go this year. • ZF acquired a 40 percent stake in Ibeo Automotive Systems, a developer of light detection and ranging technology and environ- mental recognition software used in autonomous driving. ZF said Ibeo's LIDAR advancements expand its sensor portfolio of radar and camera technologies. • Isuzu Commercial Truck of America opened its first Center of Excellence in northeast Pennsylvania – a 100,000-square-foot parts distribu- tion center and 30,000-square-foot training facility – to support dealer- ships and customers in the region. • Nikola Motor Co. announced that it has achieved 100 percent zero emissions on its Nikola One electric Class 8 truck. The company said the truck requires only 15 minutes of downtime to recharge for 1,000 miles of run time while hauling 80,000 pounds of freight. • Navistar service departments at all North American International Truck and IC Bus locations now have access to Accelerator Write-Up, an Android mobile app designed to expedite customers' service visits by stream- lining the write-up and diagnostic process. • Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks both renewed their respective contracts with Decisiv, a developer of uptime solutions and provider of both truck makers' ASIST web-based tool that provides real-time communication between customers and dealers. INBRIEF Mercedes-Benz USA Vans' new MasterSolutions program allows customers to order select upfit options directly through the dealer.

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