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Buchholz gets to grips with TOTY 2020 Actros

Minister gives plaudits for victorious Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty truck

 

Newly crowned International Truck of the Year, the Mercedes-Benz Actros, has also earned Australian ministerial kudos at a recent test drive in Melbourne.

Specialist commercial vehicle journalists from 24 European countries judged it the winner based on innovative technological developments that are advantageous to the economy, emissions, safety, driveability and comfort of vehicles.

The Actros won the award for the fifth time, making it nine overall for Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand.

“With the introduction of the new Actros, Mercedes-Benz has brought a highly modern truck onto our roads which smooths out the path to achieving automated driving in the future,” the international panel’s president, Gianenrico Griffini, says.

AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT

The vehicle also received the ministerial tick of approval from heavy vehicle licence holder, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz.

In Melbourne for the Transport Infrastructure Council (TIC) meeting of Commonwealth, state and territory transport ministers, Buchholz’s industry engagement effort included visits to the Iveco manufacturing plant at Dandenong and a test drive through Laverton during a tour of the Daimler Trucks depot.


Our analysis of Mercedes-Benz’s mirror on the future, here


He notes technological advancements, particularly in safety, “have been staggering since my involvement in the industry just a few years ago”.

“It was a great opportunity to get back behind the wheel and test drive one of the most modern trucks available in Australia,” Buchholz says.

“Mercedes Benz ‘Mirrocam’ is a major safety advancement and can be a game changer in helping drivers with blind spots around heavy vehicles

“The tour of the Iveco plant also provided some important insights into the industry.

“Iveco has a long and proud history in Australia based at Dandenong and it was good to see the company taking important investment steps to continue its presence.”

“While in Victoria, I was also able to visit the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) at Port Melbourne which is a significant contributor to research in this important area.”

On the topic of the recent road user charge debate, Buchholz notes will continue discussions with industry and the National Transport Commission (NTC) around the “complexities” of the matter.

“It’s important that we hear directly from industry representatives before meetings like this so that their issues and concerns are taken into account in any policy decisions,” he says.

INNOVATION BACKED

Mercedes-Benz Trucks head of development Professor Dr. Uwe Baake says the new Actros provides “appropriate” answers to topics of safety, efficiency and comfort.

“We are very pleased and proud that the Truck of the Year jury has recognised our efforts of the past years and months with this distinction,” he says.

“Thank you on behalf of the company and the entire team. This will really spur us on to continue giving our all and fulfilling the highest developmental standards for our trucks, especially when it comes to the future-oriented topics of electromobility, automated driving and digitalisation within our sector.”

Mercedes-Benz spotlights new features, including: the Multimedia Cockpit, MirrorCam instead of exterior mirrors, partially automated driving with Active Drive Assist or further advanced safety systems such as the fifth-generation Active Brake Assist, and the further-improved Sideguard Assist.

“What’s more, the International Truck of the Year journalists had plenty of praise for the extended functionality of the forward-looking Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) cruise control system which can now be used on winding arterial routes,” the truckmaker notes.

“Equally commended was the completely digital Multimedia Cockpit which has replaced the conventional instrument cluster in the new Actros.”

 

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