Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 162

C | THE DIVISIONS | DAIMLER TRUCKS 169
Successful further development of our engine and
transmission strategy
We continued to pursue our integrated powertrain strategy in
2015. We nearly doubled the rate of application of the DT12 au-
tomated transmission in the Freightliner Cascadia and Western
Star 5700 XE, so that approximately 40% of those models were
sold with the automated transmission in the United States and
Canada. In November, local production of the DT 12 transmission
for the North American market started in Detroit. As of 2018,
medium-duty engines for the NAFTA market will also be produced
in Detroit. We maintained the rate of application of our heavy-
duty engines in the United States and Canada at the high rate of
the previous year in a growing market. Just four years after
the launch of the Mercedes-Benz OM 471 heavy-duty engine,
Daimler Trucks presented the engine’s next stage of develop-
ment in 2015 E page 35. The latest generation of the EURO VI
engine is a part of the successful platform for heavy-duty
truck engines from Daimler Trucks. Compared to its predeces-
sor, the new engine reduces fuel consumption by up to 3%.
As a result, average fuel consumption has decreased by up
to 13% since 2011. The Euro VI engine family has also been
supplemented by the new, environmentally friendly M 936 G
natural-gas engine. This engine emits up to 20% less CO2
than a diesel engine and can reduce emissions even further if
biogas is used instead of natural gas.
Daimler Trucks is a pioneer for autonomous driving
As a globally positioned manufacturer, Daimler Trucks impres-
sively demonstrated in 2015 how intelligent technologies can
be rolled out for several brands and multiple markets in a very
short period of time. The autonomously driving vehicles from
Daimler Trucks are based on the series-production trucks used
in the respective markets. These trucks are equipped with the
Highway Pilot system, which is adapted to the specific market
conditions. The Highway Pilot encompasses a complex combi-
nation of cameras and radar systems along with lane-keeping
and collision-prevention functions that enable it to brake
and steer the vehicle and regulate its speed. We presented the
Highway Pilot to the public for the first time in 2014, when the
system enabled the Future Truck 2025 to complete a partially
autonomous drive on a cordoned-off section of an autobahn
near Magdeburg. Last year, Daimler Trucks then reached several
milestones on the road to achieving fully autonomous driving
E page 10. In May 2015, the state of Nevada approved the
Freightliner Inspiration Truck for road use, making it the world’s
first autonomously driving truck to receive this kind of certifica-
tion. The Inspiration Truck is based on the series-production
model Freightliner Cascadia. The vehicle is equipped with a
Highway Pilot that has been specially configured to operate in
American highway traffic. The first time we tested an autono-
mously driving series-production truck on public roads in
Germany was in October of last year. This premiere truck was
a series-production Mercedes-Benz Actros that was equipped
with the Highway Pilot in order to test autonomous driving on
public roads.
Mercedes-Benz Actros with Highway Pilot: premiere in 2015 for the first autonomously driving series-produced truck in Germany.