Stuttgart - The 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles (September 25 to October 2, 2008) show was once again a big success for Daimler Buses. All in all, the unit signed contracts in Hanover for the sale of 370 buses and coaches of the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands.

“As demonstrated by the many contracts we signed, this year’s presentations of the Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands were once again a big success,” says Harald Landmann, Head of Daimler Buses. “Despite the increasingly difficult economic conditions, our sales team was able to convince customers to purchase Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses. Our colleagues from the sales departments once again made an outstanding job, and the motor show once again proved that we are the world’s best bus and coach manufacturer in every respect.”

At the world’s largest commercial vehicle show, Daimler Buses signed contracts for the sale of 240 Mercedes-Benz and 130 Setra vehicles. The best-selling model was the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo touring coach, closely followed by the Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus. In the premium coach segment, many customers were won over to the new Setra S 419 GT-HD. The Setra TopClass models, which include a range of double-decker buses, were similarly successful.

Another highlight at the IAA was the Active Brake Assist safety system, which celebrated its world bus premiere in the Mercedes-Benz Travego at the beginning of September. This emergency braking system is now also available in the Setra TopClass 400. In the event of an imminent rear-end collision, Active Brake Assist initially alerts the driver by means of a series of graduated warning signals and then, if the driver fails to react, implements an emergency braking maneuver. Active Brake Assist was exhibited at the IAA at two different locations. At the Mercedes-Benz stand in Hall 14, the feature was described in detail at the Safety Forum in a presentation on travel coach safety systems. Active Brake Assist was also presented at the ADAC track, where more than 1,000 IAA visitors were able to try it out during test drives.

The services presented by OMNIplus at both brand stands greatly helped to distinguish the two brands from their competitors and met with a great response from customers.

“This year’s motor show brought us only positive results. More customers than we had expected visited our stands and engaged us in discussions. The number of contracts we concluded was also higher than we had anticipated. The feedback we’ve received from customers confirms that we are still on the right track as the world’s number one bus company,” says Holger Suffel, EvoBus Managing Director of Sales, Service & Parts. “Our sales team once again did an excellent job at the IAA - the numbers speak for themselves.”

Daimler Buses is the world’s leading manufacturer of buses for short and long-distance transportation. The company employs a total of about 17,200 men and women around the world; it sold more than 39,000 buses and coaches in 2007. EvoBus GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG and is responsible for the Group’s European bus business.