It's produced by Daimler and shares its platform with the Mercedes-Benz Econic.
Daimler Trucks is bringing its Mercedes-Benz Econic special truck for municipal requirements (waste-collection) to the North American market, where it will be marketed as the Freightliner Econic SD. Sharing a common platform, the two vehicles will be produced in the world's biggest truck plant in Wörth, Germany. They use the same low-entry concept with a low, extra-large driver’s cabin and an almost 360-degree all-around panorama field of vision, which is very helpful in busy city traffic.
But unlike the Mercedes-Benz Trucks version, once assembled in Germany, the vehicle for the North American market will be heading to Gaffney, South Carolina, where the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation will carry out the final assembly with adjustments according to the local market requirements. Power comes from a six-cylinder inline diesel engine with a turbo and an intercooler, producing a peak power of 350 horsepower (261 kilowatts). For the ease of use, the power is channeled to the wheels through an automatic gearbox.
Daimler, with its Freightliner and Western Star truck brands, is currently the “undisputed” market leader in North America with a market share of around 40 percent in the medium-duty and heavy-duty segments. With the new Econic SD, the local division of the manufacturer is entering a new segment for the Freightliner brand.
Since 2006, Daimler has delivered more than 12,000 units of the Econic in its different generations to customers in Europe and Australia. The company assembled the ten thousandth Econic truck in February 2011. The truck has been part of the streetscape of cities and municipalities on the Old continent for nearly 20 years (production started in 1998) and is especially popular in Germany and Great Britain, where it’s also a market leader.
Check out the press release section below for more details.
Source: Daimler Trucks
Stuttgart/Portland, Oregon – Daimler Trucks is introducing the Freightliner Econic SD, a special truck for municipal requirements, to the North American market.The vehicle is better known to European customers as the Mercedes-Benz Econic, which is frequently used by waste-disposal companies, among others. Both vehicles are primarily characterised by their unique low-entry concept with a low, extra large driver's cabin and an all-round panorama field of vision. On the one hand, this facilitates frequently getting into and out of the vehicle, and on the other hand it especially increases the driver's all-round visibility in busy inner-city traffic - a clear safety advantage for other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Daimler Trucks makes us of global platform strategy and opens up new segment
With the introduction to North America, the world's biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer once again uses the strengths of its global platform strategy. Just like the Mercedes-Benz Econic, its American brother runs off the production line in the world's biggest truck plant in Wörth (Rhineland-Palatinate). From the Palatinate, the trucks make their way to Gaffney, South Carolina, where the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation carries out the final assembly with adjustments for the North American market. The Freightliner Econic SD with the DD8 (350 hp) six-cylinder in-line engine is equipped with a major assembly produced locally in Detroit, Michigan, which stems from the MDEP engine family (Medium Duty Engine Platform) deployed worldwide by Daimler Trucks.
With its truck brands Freightliner and Western Star, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is the undisputed market leader with a market share of around 40 percent in the medium-duty and heavy-duty segments (Class 6-8). For Daimler Trucks North America, the latest member of the family - a vehicle that is very popular with customers - makes it possible to open up a completely new segment for the Freightliner brand. In Europe, the Mercedes-Benz Econic has been part of the streetscape of cities and municipalities for around 20 years and has proven its reliability in numerous applications.More than 12,000 units have been sold in Europe and Australia since 2006, particularly in leading markets like Germany and Great Britain.