Mercedes-Benz anunció el viernes el comienzo de la producción en la Argentina de la Sprinter NCV3, la nueva generación del utilitario de la Estrella, que saldrá a la venta en mayo y reemplazará por completo a la actual Sprinter T1N. La primera unidad en salir de la línea de montaje fue un furgón de pasajeros 19+1. En los hechos, la NCV3 se fabricó durante dos años en la planta de Virrey del Pino, aunque sólo para algunos mercados de exportación, como Europa. Ahora el nuevo modelo estará disponible en la Argentina y en los otros 50 países a los que se despacha, como Brasil, Sudáfrica y Australia. Para ello, la planta argentina recibió una inversión de 70 millones de euros para modernizar las líneas de producción e iniciar la fabricación nacional del nuevo motor diesel OM651. La NCV3 se destacará por la gran cantidad de componentes de producción nacional: tren delantero, motor, aire acondicionado, amortiguadores, asientos, cardanes y consolas, entre otros elementos, serán de origen argentino. La decisión de unificar la producción de la NCV3 con respecto a lo que se ofrece en otros mercados obedece a la nueva estrategia de la división de utilitarios de la Estrella. Bajo el lema “Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global”, la firma se propuso ofrecer los mismos modelos en todos los mercados. Esto le permitió a la planta argentina comenzar a postularse para nuevos modelos, ademas la fábrica de Virrey del Pino se habría presentado como candidata para la producción del llamado Proyecto VS20, que identifica a la nueva generación de las vans Vito y Viano. De concretarse, la producción local no arrancaría antes del 2015. Volviendo a la nueva Sprinter NCV3, el motor turbodiesel estará asociado a una caja ZF de seis velocidades y su interior contará con numerosos elementos de confort y seguridad: volante regulable en altura y profundidad, volante multifunción con Bluetooth, frenos ABS, control de estabiliad, airbag para el conductor de serie (opcional para los acompañantes de la primera fila) y cinturones de seguridad con pretensores pirotécnicos. Comunicado de prensa de Mercedes-Benz Daimler Continues Growth as Production of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Begins in Argentina Stuttgart / Buenos Aires, Argentina – Following the decision to introduce the current European model of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in Argentina, the Daimler subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. has announced that production of this vehicle has begun at the Centro Industrial Juan Manuel Fangio plant near Buenos Aires. At the beginning of the year, the plant started to switch production to the Sprinter model that has demonstrated its worth in Europe. Manufacturing operations are being carried out in two shifts and are proceeding at almost full capacity. The Sprinter is primarily offered as a bus model in Latin America in order to benefit from the rapidly growing demand for passenger transportation. The market launch of the Sprinter is scheduled for May this year. The Sprinter is the flagship model for Mercedes-Benz Vans and is successfully exported into about 50 countries, including Brazil, South Africa, and Australia. In the more than 60 years of its existence, Mercedes-Benz Argentina has produced over 200,000 Sprinters in Buenos Aires. Around 17,000 units rolled off the production line for sale on the domestic market or export last year. Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, underlines the excellent developments on the global transporter market: “Mercedes-Benz Vans is one of the driving forces at Daimler within sales, revenues, and earnings worldwide. We have full confidence in on our global growth strategy `Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global´. In Latin America, we want to increase our van sales by 30 percent over the next five years. The current generation of Sprinter models will lay the foundation for this development.” Roland Zey, Head of Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A., emphasizes the company’s regional strategy, saying that “the Sprinter is an essential part of our product range. For many years now, it has been the very epitome of quality, efficiency, and top performance. This makes our plant in Buenos Aires a very significant location. Furthermore, as Argentina’s biggest commercial vehicle facility, the plant is an important employer for the entire region. We’re delighted that the successor model of the Sprinter will open up a new chapter in this success story.” Daimler is investing more than €70 million in Argentina, with part of this investment being used to switch over production to the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter model currently available in Europe. In this manner, the company is underscoring the importance of the production facility in Buenos Aires, which bears the name of five-time Formula 1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio. About Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. Around 500,000 commercial vehicles have rolled off the assembly line since the plant operated by Daimler subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. was established in 1951. The more than 1,800 employees at the Juan Manuel Fangio plant in Buenos Aires produce chassis for city buses, trucks, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that is currently available in Europe. This makes the company the country’s only automaker to cover the entire commercial vehicle segment.
