MERCEDES-BENZ

INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS SYSTEM IS THE HIGH SPEED OF THE NEW SPRINTER
The Mercedes-Benz Vans division showed at the Sprinter Innovation Campus in Stuttgart, Germany, how the sales leader is ready to lead the large vans segment - in Brazil, represented by Sprinter van, cabin chassis and passenger van - towards a new era.The adVANce Future Initiative, presented in 2016, plays a central role in this context. Developments including connectivity solutions have given a more concrete form to this guideline and will go into series production for the first time with the new Sprinter in the European spring of 2018.In its third generation, the founder of the segment, sales leader and introducer of innovations was once again reinvented. Its complete internet connection, unparalleled scalability, individual hardware solutions for the cargo bay and its combination with sharing and rental services make Sprinter the first integrated solution system. The integration of these innovations is geared exclusively to exploiting benefits to customers in individual sectors and will be a great contribution to managers and drivers in their daily work."Sprinter is the spearhead of our portfolio and defines our understanding of an integrated solution. Comprehensive industry-specific knowledge, an adaptive vehicle that accurately matches different transportation needs, and innovative network services adds up to a fully comprehensive product offering with comprehensive coverage. Sprinter is thus the first embodiment of this new class of vehicles and meets the need for intelligent hardware, "says Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.Since its market launch in 1995, Sprinter has defined the 'large vans' segment in a wide range of fields, as well as satisfying customers in more than 130 countries. With 3.3 million units sold so far, Sprinter is among the best-selling light commercials and is the bestseller of Mercedes-Benz, the global successful vans manufacturer.

Development focus in five innovation fields
The adVANce future initiative means transforming Mercedes-Benz Vans from vehicle manufacturer into a fully integrated transportation and mobility solutions provider. The development of products and services is shaped by five fields of innovation:
1-digital @ vans has as its main focus the connectivity and digital interconnection of vehicles,
2-solutions @ vans focuses on developing hardware solutions to make customer business more efficient,
3-rental @ vans is focused on innovative rental models,
4-sharing @ vans brings together new concepts in the field of public passenger transport,
5-eDrive @ vans gives a complete approach to electric mobility.

A preview of the qualities of the new Sprinter...Sprinter's third generation serves as an innovation benchmark for an entire class of vehicles, above all due to completely new interconnect services. For the first time, Internet connection hardware is fully integrated as part of the vehicle's infrastructure. This establishes an essential prerequisite for industry-specific innovative services and solutions for their continued development in the future."The Internet integration of Things opens up a wealth of new possibilities regarding the development of optimization measures and improvements in efficiency. We will be offering initial interconnect services already in the launch of the new Sprinter, and later on, we will expand our portfolio and continually adapt it to the needs and business models of our customers, "says Ulf Zillig, general manager of projects at Sprinter on Mercedes-Benz Vans.

New role for fleets in highly contested markets...The megatrends of digitization and urbanization impose extreme challenges on companies and fleet operators. The market for courier services and normal or express delivery, for example, is characterized by tight deadlines and high cost pressure. Day-to-day delivery is already standard in online retail, while delivery of goods on the day of purchase in the food segment is gaining a growing market share.To survive in this highly competitive environment, fleets need to be more integrated than ever to corporate processes. This opens space for the growing range of applications for smart vehicles, which have to play an even greater role in helping to keep companies with specific competitive transport needs successful.Cutting-edge commercial vehicles are being transformed from pure means of transportation into platforms for logistics concepts. While qualities such as reliability and economy remain integral parts of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the future generation of vehicles must also offer new technologies for a wide range of uses. That is, isolated solutions are giving way to well-designed integrated systems.Innovative developments now cover maximum vehicle flexibility and integration with the corporate information technology infrastructure and inventory control systems. In this way, the gain is verified along the entire value chain for the fleet. The vehicle becomes part of the Internet of Things. Sprinter fits into this context as an integrated solution.

Mercedes PRO connect: digital fleet control...Interconnection and telematics solutions play an instrumental role in fleet optimization. Improvements in efficiency result, for example, from the very organized and easily managed control which, in turn, can come from clear monitoring of the vehicle's movements and the availability of all the fundamental economic data. Continuous communication between fleet management and the driver and the early indication functions for maintenance and repairs make everyday work even easier. What was previously limited to stand-alone solutions for large companies with equally large fleets, is now being introduced for medium to small fleets. Following the launch of the adaptive solution 'Mercedes PRO Adapter' in September 2017, the fully integrated factory solution is now presented for the first time on board Sprinter.Central services include vehicle status, communication with the fleet, maintenance management, accident recovery and a digital vehicle registration. All network services are gathered by Mercedes PRO connect. The web-based service for fleet owners, from small commercial companies to large customers, connects the administrator with all vehicles and drivers through the vehicle management tool. This allows jobs to be managed online and information such as location, fuel level or maintenance intervals can be received virtually in real time. Easy to use, this tool gives the manager a complete view of the fleet.Intelligent interconnection and data interpretation enable new services, which generate additional value for the customer. One of the most important topics for the future is the cargo compartment interconnection. It allows the driver and the fleet manager to have a view of the items on board in real time on delivery trips, for example. Mercedes PRO connect shares the data collected in the vehicle with fleet managers through a cloud infrastructure.

Scalable and adaptable to the smallest detail
The versatility and adaptability of the vehicles are key criteria to meet the needs of customers in different segments. The Sprinter presents an unprecedented range of variations that goes far beyond different bodywork, wheelbase or load heights.The range extends from the basic version to more price sensitive customers, who value the proven virtues of Sprinter, to the top version, presenting fine materials inside. The cargo compartment concept is an example of the interior adjustability. The central area of ​​the instrument panel is dominated by intelligent information and entertainment systems. The new generation telematics, providing the best in interconnection, marks the top of the line of products."Modularity is not an end in itself, but an absolute necessity. The purpose of the applications covered by the new Sprinter has never been so varied. The wishes of our customers range from a luxury bus for use as a VIP transport to vehicles to building areas that can be cleaned with high pressure hoses if necessary, "says Norbert Kunz, head of product management at Sprinter.

Clear strategy: the whole series of models will be electrified
The integrated strategy of the Mercedes-Benz Vans also covers the area of ​​electric propulsion. The entire series of business models will be electrified in the coming years, starting with eVito, which became available for orders a few days ago and will be available in the second half of 2018. eVito will be followed by eSprinter in 2019.Tailor-made integrated solutions do not, however, only evolve on the basis of electric vehicles. Individual operator concepts take into account fleet size, driver profile or structural requirements to establish a special recharging infrastructure at the company headquarters. The use of network and specific financing solutions for electric vehicles and mobility concepts are part of the overall solution. This substantially reduces operating costs throughout the entire life cycle of the vehicle and makes eSprinter and eVito competitive in the commercial context.The electrification of the model range is accompanied by a paradigm shift in development, with the focus being on the joint creation of the model by the customer. Strategic partners such as Hermes are integrated directly into the ongoing development process. Logistics service provider Hermes and Mercedes-Benz Vans will launch a pilot phase in Hamburg and Stuttgart in early 2018. The launch of the electric fleet will be further expanded to cover new urban areas, requiring 1,500 electric vans for distribution and delivery operations . The knowledge and observations obtained from this pilot project will be applicable in part to other industries, allowing a transfer of knowledge and technology that will ultimately benefit all customers.

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