An Interview with Roberto Leoncini, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Trucks and Buses at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil brings us up to date on business in 2021 and expectation for 2022

January 1, 2022, saw Achim Puchert take over as leader and President of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda, responsible for Trucks and Buses in the Latin American region. Prior to this role, Puchert was Head of Sales for Daimler Trucks & Buses Overseas (DTO) and Head of International Sales, Marketing and Customer Services at Daimler Trucks Asia.

Mercedes-Benz Brazil has unveiled a fully electric bus chassis named the eO500U, which is specifically designed for use in Latin American cities and will be manufactured at the São Bernado do Campo plant from 2022 onwards.

Mercedes-Benz Brazil has announced the Arocs construction truck is now available, for which it has already received orders for 200 units, set to be delivered by the end of December 2021.

Mercedes-Benz Brazil predicts that bus and coach sales in Brazil in 2022 could reach 18,500 units, an increase of 35% above the 13,000 vehicles estimated for 2021.

In July 2001, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda registered its first sale of the O 500 bus chassis; model O 500 U 1725/59, which was then seen to set new standards for quality, technology, comfort, and safety of buses and coaches in Brazil.

Caio Induscar Indústria e Comércio de Carrocerias Ltda of Botucatu, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda of São Bernardo do Campo have developed a new model of city minibus for the Chilean market.

The São Bernardo do Campo factory belonging to Mercedes-Benz do Brasil reached an historic milestone in March as it celebrated 50 years of manufacturing the OF front-engine bus chassis range.

Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in February this year announced it had plans to hire around 1,000 additional people for the São Bernardo do Campo plant in ABC Paulista, which currently employs 8,500.

Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda has launched a new high floor chassis model for the city bus BRT segment, the O500 R Super Padron.

DAF, Iveco, Foton Caminhões, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses and Volvo Trucks Latin America have all added new dealers, adding more than 60 new truck dealer points in the country.

An interview in November 2020 with Karl Deppen, president of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil and CEO for Latin America with T&BB’s South American correspondent, Jose Secco, shared some important details about the Brazilian market as well as providing an outlook for CV demand over the coming years.