Trucks

Mercedes medium duty truck is winner

The Atego range comprises trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to 17.1 tonnes.

Daimler Commercial Vehicles Mena FZE (DCV Mena) has announced that the Mercedes-Benz Atego 1726 has been crowned ‘Medium-Duty Truck of the Year’ at an independent truck and fleet-focused awards ceremony held recently in Dubai, UAE.

The highly contested category featured five competing vehicles; however, the Atego 1726 drew the greatest number of industry votes in the run-up to the event, enabling it to secure the coveted trophy, the company says.

A crucial member of Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ medium-duty truck portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, the Atego range is comprehensive and comprises trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of up to 17.1 tonnes.

Characterised by the claim ‘Trucks you can trust’, the range offers an application-specific vehicle configuration for almost every commercial requirement and sector, DCV Mena says. The Atego range’s versatility, practicality, and robustness highlight Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ over 125-year experience in vehicle manufacturing.

Petersen ... pleased.

Petersen ... pleased.

“We are pleased to receive the award and would like to thank those who have voted for the Mercedes-Benz Atego 1726. The Atego, known for its versatility, can be customised from the factory to meet every customer’s needs, and is one of the pioneers in the medium-duty truck sector in the region with its Mercedes Powershift 3 automated transmission,” says Olaf Petersen, General Manager, Daimler Commercial Vehicles Mena FZE.

The Atego 1726 specifically can be configured in 4x2 or 4x4 axle configuration, a S-Cab or L-Cab (4x4 chassis only offered with S-Cab) and boasts a 256 hp inline six engine. The vehicle is Euro V emission class rated. Its powertrain is designed for performance, efficiency and robustness, ensuring that the costs per kilometre stay low during the vehicle’s service life, he says.

As with the standard 4x2 version, the 4x4 variant offers greater ground clearance and better traction on rough terrain. The latter makes it ideal for on-road and off-road operations including heavy applications such as construction or garbage collections, Petersen says.

The awards ceremony also shortlisted the Fuso Canter – Euro 5 and Fuso eCanter in the ‘Light-Duty Truck of the Year’ category. Both vehicles were highly commended following industry voting. In addition, DCV Mena and Fleetboard, a full-fledged telematics-supported fleet management solution, were highly commended in the ‘Outstanding Manufacturer of the Year’ and ‘Achievement in Fleet Mobility’ categories respectively, the company says. The two categories were presided upon by an independent judging panel.

“At Daimler Trucks, we strive for the best product and service offering for our customers here in the region. We are a full range provider and the versatile medium-duty Atego provides the right solutions to our customers for virtually every truck application,” Petersen explains.

DCV Mena, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, represents Daimler Trucks and Buses through a network of more than 30 Mercedes-Benz and Fuso general distributors across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). One of six regional centres worldwide, it is responsible for all commercial vehicles-related activities of Daimler in the Mena region.

The Dubai regional centre manages sales and customer services and parts supply activities for the brands Fuso, Mercedes-Benz and Setra in the following markets: Afghanistan, Algeria (Fuso only), Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.