Trucks, buses and services from Daimler Truck AG won first place in eight categories at the 2022 ETM Awards. The award ceremony, which took place “live” in Berlin for the first time yesterday evening after having held virtual events for the last two years, is considered an important indicator in the commercial vehicle industry. 5978 readers of “lastauto omnibus“, “trans aktuell“, “Fernfahrer” trade journals and the “eurotransport.de” online format from Stuttgart-based ETM publishing house took part in the 26th readers’ choice awards and conferred the prestigious award in the “Best Truck“, “Best Van“, “Best Bus” and “Best Brands” divisions. The readers’ choice awards have been organised according to a uniform methodology since 1997. Among the candidates this year were 219 commercial vehicles from 16 categories and around 200 brands from the commercial vehicle sector in 29 categories.
At the award ceremony, Joachim Schlereth, Head of Sales & Services Mercedes-Benz Trucks and FUSO Germany, was delighted with the results of the readers’ choice awards: “We are proud that readers are honoring our trucks and services. This motivates us to continue to clearly focus on our customers’ expectations in the future and to forge ahead with the transformation toward e-mobility in close cooperation with our customers.“
Mirko Sgodda, Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Services at Daimler Buses, was delighted about the outstanding performance of the city bus range in the eyes of the readers: “Thank you to the readers of ETM publishing house’s publications. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is once again number one in its class! The entire Daimler Buses team is delighted with this award, which is being presented in time for the anniversary of the Citaro: 25 years ago, we introduced the first generation of our best-selling city bus!“
Fully electric drive concept puts eActros in first place among electric trucks
For the third time in the “Electric Truck” category, ETM publishing house readers awarded the top spot at the ETM Awards to the convincing concept of the battery-powered eActros. Last year, Mercedes-Benz Trucks ushered in a new era with the first electric series-production truck bearing the star. The manufacturer is well known for its local CO2-neutral road haulage.
The batteries of the eActros consist of either three (eActros 300) or four battery packs (eActros 400). With four battery packs, the eActros 400 boasts a range of up to 400 kilometers. The technological centerpiece is the drive unit – an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric engines and a two-speed transmission. Both liquid-cooled engines generate a continuous output of 330 kW as well as a top performance of 400 kW. In addition, electric energy can be recovered through recuperation when driving with anticipation. The energy gained during braking is fed back into the batteries of the eActros and is then available again for the drive.
Two first places for the Mercedes-Benz Actros with conventional drive
The Mercedes-Benz Actros won the ETM Award in the “Long-distance haulage truck” category. It thus provides proof that the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz Trucks product range continues to set standards when it comes to requirement profiles in long-haul transportation, even after more than a quarter of a century of production. The truck bearing the star is particularly impressive in terms of profitability, safety, reliability and comfort, paired with pioneering innovations, networking offers and many other technical milestones. These include the digital multimedia cockpit, MirrorCam system, GPS-based cruise control
Powertrain Control and the Active Brake Assist 5 emergency braking system with pedestrian detection. In today’s fifth generation, the Actros can also be optionally equipped with the Active Sideguard Assist turning assistant featuring automated braking function and the second generation Active Drive Assist (ADA 2). Its Emergency Stop Assist sub-function can initiate an emergency stop if the driver does not react in a critical situation despite a warning.
In the “Heavy distribution trucks over 18 tons” category, first place went to the Mercedes-Benz Actros F. Its function-oriented equipment meets the various needs and transport requirements of drivers and fleet operators in the transportation business. Its plus points are the generous space in the cab, the low three-step entry, 17 models to choose from as well as the high payload and flexibility of use. In addition, there is a wide range of optional equipment. This includes the retarder, Active Sideguard Assist and Predictive Powertrain Control.
Mercedes-Benz Atego receives ETM Award as best distribution truck up to 18 tons
The Mercedes-Benz Atego was the front-runner in the “Light distribution trucks up to 18 tons” category. It is one of the most popular commercial vehicle model series from Mercedes-Benz Trucks in light to medium-duty distribution haulage and has been the market leader in this segment in Europe for more than 20 years.
Overall winner of the “Midi buses” category: Sprinter Mobility, City, Transfer and Travel
In the “Midi buses” category, ETM publishing house readers selected the four Mobility, City, Transfer and Travel model series as the winner, which are all based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The 5.9 to 8.5-meter-long model variants play a leading role in Europe in the segment of minibuses with a permissible gross weight of over 3.5 tons. The Sprinter City is the specialist for regular service close to cities and in the city center. The Sprinter Transfer can be used flexibly in intercity and school bus transportation and is also suitable for excursions and shuttle service. The Sprinter Mobility has been specially equipped for transporting passengers with limited mobility, and the Sprinter Travel meets the high demands of passengers in tourist travel. Since the sale of Mercedes-Benz Minibus GmbH based in Dortmund to Munich-based industrial group AEQUITA at the end of 2021, Tremonia Mobility GmbH has continued its minibus business.
Mercedes-Benz Citaro, eCitaro and CapaCity: “Best Bus” in urban traffic
In the overall standings of the “Scheduled-service city buses” category, the Mercedes-Benz Citaro is a regular in first place in the ETM readers’ polls. In the year of its 25th anniversary, readers once again honored it with the ETM Award for its environmentally friendly and innovative technologies. Over 60,000 solo and articulated bus versions have been sold since the market launch in 1997, which makes the Citaro one of the world’s most successful city buses and a forward-looking investment for local public transport operators in climate-friendly cities around the world.
At the same time, readers honored the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro with the ETM “Best Bus” Award. The all-electric city bus is a fully developed electric bus. More than 600 eCitaro buses are currently in regular service with European customers. A real pioneering achievement are the optionally available solid-state batteries with particularly high energy density and service life. As of 2023, the eCitaro will also be available with a hydrogen-based fuel cell as a range extender. On request, Daimler Buses can support transportation companies as a full-service provider with attractive turnkey solutions for integration into existing transportation systems. These solutions can be combined into a coordinated complete package of e-buses with the most suitable battery technology, power and charging infrastructure as well as suitable software, digital services, appropriate training for personnel and aftersales services from a single source.
The four-axle, large-capacity CapaCity and CapaCity L city buses also came out top. The 19.73 meter and 21.00 meter long low-floor articulated bus versions combine an enormous capacity with outstanding maneuverability and an extensive range of standard and optional equipment. Heavily frequented routes in densely populated metropolitan areas are their domain. Available with four or five doors, they offer sufficient space for transporting up to 191 passengers.
Mercedes-Benz CharterWay and Mercedes-Benz TruckWorks are “Best Brands”
Mercedes-Benz CharterWay again won the ETM Award in the “Truck rental” category of the 2022 readers’ poll. With more than 7,000 towing and towed units at over 70 rental pool locations, CharterWay has been Germany’s number 1 mobility service provider for 30 years. Since 1992, the company has been offering services and mobility at calculable costs for the procurement, service and management of Mercedes-Benz trucks and special-purpose vehicles, including trailers. CharterWay Service, CharterWay ServiceLeasing and CharterWay Rental form the range of services offered by the market leader, which can access the entire Daimler Truck service network throughout Europe.
Martin Kehnen, Head of CharterWay Germany, was delighted with the award: “We are excited that the readers have once again chosen Mercedes-Benz CharterWay as the best brand. This shows us that the quality of our short and long-term rental concept for Mercedes-Benz and FUSO trucks is still first-class even after 30 years.“
Readers once again presented the ETM Award in the “Truck/Trailer Service” category to the Mercedes-Benz TruckWorks service brand this year. The first place award honors the highly flexible all-round service from a single source, which is available for the entire truck portfolio of Daimler Truck, including trailers, semitrailers, bodies, axles, brake systems, tail lifts, cooling units and telematics. Any warranty claims remain in full force. The one-stop service concept at around 100 TruckWorks sites in Germany minimizes non-operational times, effort and costs for maintenance and repair work and legally prescribed inspections. Tire service, pick-up and delivery service for the vehicle, extended opening hours, 24-hour service and provision of replacement vehicles enhance the service portfolio. In addition to beverages, TruckWorks also provides waiting drivers with bathrooms, showers and overnight accommodation.