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The delivery of an S 415 GT-HD at the end of October was a special cause for celebration for the company Gebrüder Ebneter AG in the Swiss town of St. Gallen. The Setra ComfortClass coach was the 50th new vehicle from the production line in Neu-Ulm to come to the long-established, family-run company. With the arrival of this latest two-axle model the tour operator, currently run by the third generation of the same family, now operates a total of nine buses from the Daimler brand.
The company was originally established as a greengrocer's business by Johann Ebneter, grandfather of the current managing directors Stefan and Urs Ebneter, in 1933. The next generation of the family, represented by their father, Hans Ebneter, developed the company as a transport and travel operator, buying the company's first Setra bus in 1956. "The compact shape and integral body construction of the Setra S 6, together with its new-style rear-mounted engine, offered a very convincing package in every respect", reminisced Hans Ebneter at the handover of the milestone vehicle at the company's premises in the St. Gallen suburb of St. Georgen.
This loyalty to Setra remains part and parcel of the company's activities to this day. The family-run company, which also undertakes furniture removals in and around St. Gallen, has remained faithful to the Ulm bus brand's coaches over the years and through all the various model series. All in all, the company now has one of the largest and most up-to-date fleets of buses in the whole of eastern Switzerland. Gebrüder Ebneter AG's extensive brochure encompasses day trips as well as city tours and cultural mini-breaks throughout Europe.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The organisers of the 2012 European Football Championship to be hosted jointly by Poland and the Ukraine from the 8th June to 1st July have put their trust in Setra coaches from Daimler AG.
Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses: "We are happy and proud to be able to support one of the most important international top-class sporting events with our top-class quality from Ulm."
During the tournament 25 first-class touring coaches of the Ulm-based bus and coach brand will be used for the transport requirements of the 16 teams, their support staff, officials and guests. Transportation will be provided by a consortium formed by two bus and coach operators, “Sindbad” and “RafTrans”. In coordination with the European Football Association, UEFA, the consortium chose the safety and quality guaranteed by the coaches from Neu-Ulm.
Coach operator Sindbad is based in the Polish city of Opole and has commissioned a total of 96 new Setra coaches for its international regular services since 1998. Like Sindbad, Warsaw-based company RafTrans, founded in 1991, also provides transportation for international travel and business groups. Sindbad and RafTrans have ordered a total of twelve S 416 GT-HD and eight S 415 GT-HD Setra ComfortClass coaches for transportation of the teams. An S 417 GT-HD, an S 419 GT-HD and an S 431 DT double-decker, as well as an S 417 HDH and an S 415 HDH Setra TopClass will all be available for officials and VIPs for the duration of the championship.
Lothar Holder, Director of Sales of the Setra Bus and Coach Unit at Evobus GmbH is pleased at the two coach operators’ decision for Setra: “I am proud that we are able to support the organisers of the 2012 European Football Championship with the Setra brand, because Setra and football have one thing in common: they are both highly emotional!”
The matches in the 2012 European Football Championship will be played in the soccer arenas of the Polish cities of Warsaw, Poznań, Wroclaw, Gdansk (Danzig) and in the Ukranian cities of Kiev, Donetsk, Lviv and Kharkiv.
The Setra brand has already proved itself in international football championships: in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the European championship in Switzerland and Austria in 2008. In these two cases the comprehensive Omniplus offers were a co-determining factor for the consortium’s decision in favour of Setra: this was also the case with the decision in the 2012 football championship to be co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The Setra bus and coach brand presents itself with a new look on the Internet. The newly designed website www.setra.de goes online in good time for the “Busworld 2011” bus and coach show taking place from 21 to 26. October 2011 in the Belgian city of Kortrijk (Courtray). A luminous, friendly, background and a wealth of meticulously prepared information bring the openness and transparence of the Daimler brand to the foreground with even greater emphasis in this jubilee year of Setra’s 60th anniversary.
In addition to the comprehensive services offered, focus is on the three model series TopClass, ComfortClass and MultiClass. With a single click you can study on screen all the technical facts and figures of each individual vehicle swiftly, conveniently and with a clearly-structured layout. Large-format images and videos underscore the exclusivity of the Setra buses and coaches, providing a lively presence in the data world of today.
For Lothar Holder, Sales Manager of Setra Bus and Coach Unit, EvoBus GmbH, the new design of the website is coupled with new transparence for the Internet users: “with the new web pages we present a concise overview of our vehicles and of the steadily growing services offered, in a fully new dimension. All relevant facts and figures are tailored precisely to the requirements of bus and coach operators, journalists, partners and friends of the Setra family.”
At www.setra.de a time-consuming search for the desired information is unnecessary. On the homepage visitors will find current news, new highlights and important quick access links. A navigation bar conducts visitors in a clear, well-structured manner to the relevant contact persons in customer advice and Setra sales, After Sales and the Omniplus services brand, naturally all with their respective links. Apart from this, data and facts from the history of the buses with self-supporting body are presented in a clearly arranged manner. In addition to the tried-and-tested route planner, visitors to the site have an extensive download and service sector at their disposal where they can download, among other things, current brochures and data sheets, and where they can view and order exclusive offers from the Setra Collection.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
In the first six months of the year, Daimler Buses sold 18,308 Mercedes Benz, Setra, and Orion brand buses and chassis worldwide (January-June 2010: 19,226). During this period, the unit posted revenues of slightly more than €2 billion (January-June 2010: €2.22 billion).
“Thanks to our global presence, Daimler Buses can easily deal with disparate economic developments in different regions,” said Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, at the press conference during the run up to Busworld 2011. “At the moment, we are, for example, benefiting from the dynamic growth being experienced by markets such as Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey. This growth enables us to partially offset the continued low demand in Europe and North America. The most important thing, however, is that Daimler Buses continues to lead the way in the bus sector. And we will therefore continue to rigorously follow this path.”
Daimler Buses puts in an impressive performance in Latin America
In the first half of 2011, the bus markets developed in very different ways. Demand increased appreciably in Latin America, India, and Turkey, leading to substantial market growth. In the key growth market of Brazil, Daimler’s bus division maintained sales at last year’s high level, selling a total of around 8,900 units. That makes Daimler Buses the undisputed market leader in the country, with a market share of over 43 percent. Sales in Mexico even increased by about 27 percent to more than 1,430 units. Daimler Buses posted its highest growth in South America in Argentina, where vehicle sales rose by 24 percent to around 2,000 units. In Turkey, Daimler Buses delivered almost twice as many travel coaches to customers as in the first half of last year, increasing sales to just under 700 units.
The picture is different on the European and North American bus markets. In both of these regions, the challenging economic developments of 2009 and 2010 continue to affect bus sales. With regard to Europe, Schick stated that “the economic crisis of 2009 continues to impact the European bus business, especially in the city bus segment. We’ll reach the low point this year — two years later than in other sectors. The reason for this is simple: Budgetary constraints in the public sector resulted in significantly fewer purchases.”
Despite the difficult market conditions in Europe, Daimler Buses saw sales in the intercity bus and travel coach segments increase. Compared to the same period last year, sales of Mercedes-Benz and Setra brand vehicles rose slightly by three percent to 2,145 units, due primarily to high sales figures in Turkey. Several major orders for city buses, including the delivery of 300 Mercedes-Benz Citaros to Singapore, have helped consolidate the results for the first half of the year.
Daimler Buses continues to pursue its growth strategy
In full-year 2011, Daimler Buses expects that global demand will primarily come from Latin America, India, and Turkey. At the same time, the bus manufacturer does not yet expect the European market to experience a major rebound.
In view of this situation, Schick stated that “Daimler Buses has for many years focused on pursuing a global strategy with the clear goal of achieving growth in traditional as well as in new markets. We will reach this goal due to our outstanding products, continuous efficiency increases, and the fact that we have the best employees in the industry. I’m therefore convinced that we will remain the number one company in the bus business and attain a positive overall result in 2011, despite it being a challenging year for buses.”
To enable Daimler Buses to continue to set the pace in traditional markets and forge ahead with its strategic pillar for “Growth in established markets,” the unit has thoroughly enhanced its product range’s flagship vehicle. This vehicle, the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus, was unveiled in May. With sales of approximately 32,000 units, the first generation of the Citaro was Europe’s most successful city bus of all time. Daimler Buses is building on this success story with the new vehicle, which sets new standards for quality, safety, efficiency, comfort, and design. In addition, the new Citaro is very convincing when it comes to fuel consumption and service.
In Latin America, Daimler Buses is focusing its further growth on the chassis business and consistent expansion of its product range. These chassis from Mercedes-Benz comply with local Euro IV and Euro V emission limits.
With regard to its strategic pillar for “Growth in new markets,” Daimler Buses is giving India priority because it is an important future market. In the area of travel coaches, Daimler Buses has been cooperating with the Indian body builder firm Sutlej since 2007. Daimler Buses will achieve further growth in India with a new generation of city buses, which it will introduce to the market in early 2012.
According to Schick, the so-called Next 11 countries, such as Indonesia, also offer potential for profitable growth. “The Indonesian market has already been recording strong growth over the last few years through the modernization of urban bus fleets and infrastructure,” he said. “In fact, market volume in that country will nearly double over the next eight years. Our market share in the country is about 40 percent and we’re very confident that we’ll be able to benefit from growth there in the coming years as well.”
In the area of “Technological leadership,” Daimler Buses continues to be the driving force in the bus sector. North America, for example, is home to the world’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses (more than 3,000 units), all of which come from Daimler Buses. In Europe, more than 50 Mercedes-Benz Citaro BlueTec Hybrid urban buses will be in operation by the end of the year in cities such as Stuttgart, Hamburg, Krefeld, Dresden, Muelheim, Rotterdam, and Milan. In addition, 11 fuel cell buses will enter operation before the end of the year.
Daimler Buses at Busworld 2011: The first Euro VI-compliant travel coach is supplied by Mercedes-Benz!
Daimler Buses will present a total of 13 Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus and coach models at Busworld in Kortrijk, Belgium, the largest bus show of 2011. The Mercedes-Benz stand will celebrate the world premiere of the Mercedes-Benz Travego “Edition 1”, which is the first travel coach to meet the Euro VI emissions standard. Featuring a new and powerful BlueEfficiency engine, a new transmission, and a new driver area, the coach will also boast the Attention Assist safety system, which is found in no other travel coach in the world.
Just as spectacular as the new Travego is the new-generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus, which will be having its motor show debut at Busworld in Kortrijk. Mercedes-Benz Buses will also celebrate the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler by introducing the attractive “125! years of innovation” special edition model of the high-deck Tourismo travel coach. The Sprinter City 77 — the current flagship vehicle of Mercedes-Benz’ minibus lineup — will also be represented at the stand. The vehicle is 8.7 meters long and can transport up to 40 passengers.
The Setra brand will be represented at the bus show by eight vehicles from all three of its production series, thus demonstrating its leading position in the travel coach and regular service intercity bus segments. Highlights of the show at the Setra stand will include the successful ComfortClass 400, and the MultiClass 400 S 415 H high-floor bus and S 416 H. The focus inside is on an innovative, state-of-the-art infotainment system for satellite TV and radio. Screens are built into the backs of the passenger seats, as well as behind the driver, at the entrance, and into the back wall of the onboard galley. The image from the driver camera can be connected to these screens as well. In addition, Setra will present the S 415 GT-HD “Final Edition” to the trade visitors at Busworld. The vehicle has high-quality interior appointments as well as a comprehensive equipment package and exclusive side trim made of brushed stainless steel.
To mark its 60th anniversary, the Setra brand presented the limited “Special Edition” vehicle in a number of different equipment variants at the beginning of the year. A variant that will be shown in Kortrijk will be the TopClass S 416 HDH with displaced seating.
Omniplus provides a unique range of bus-related services, including professional maintenance and repair work, efficient driver and service training programs, a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles, and customized financial services. Omniplus operates more than 600 authorized service centers in Europe, making it the largest bus-specific service network on the continent.
In Kortrijk, the service brand will present several new offers for bus operators, including a new, graduated ServiceCard concept, and the BusMobility package, which provides all-round breakdown assistance in 40 European countries. Thanks to a dense network of service centers, the mobility package minimizes the customer’s financial risks and ensures downtimes are short no matter when a breakdown occurs.
Daimler Buses is the world’s leading manufacturer of buses and coaches and employs about 17,000 men and women.
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
