Mercedes-Benz is moving and building – not the bricks and mortar of the company, but with its all-new Arocs trucks for distribution and construction; this fulfilling the promise made at the launch of the Actros the company is on a product offensive.

From this year all rigid trucks used for on and off-road applications in the distribution and construction sector will be known under the name Arocs.

This comes on the back of the formal launch of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) as a separate legal entity dedicated to focus on current and future truck and bus customer needs within the Southern African region (South Africa, Mozambique,

Chief Executive of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa Jasper Hafkamp says: “In everything we do, we focus on our customers. Our mission and reason for existence is to make our customers more successful – with the best products and solutions.

“The establishment of a new, legal entity in Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa will sharpen our strategic focus and provide the entrepreneurial freedom to respond quickly and flexibly to the unprecedented changes happening in the automotive industry.

“Becoming a standalone entity enables us to concentrate fully on our customers and enter into more flexible partnerships for the future success of the business. As such, 2019 promises to be an exciting year, and one that is full of opportunities. In addition to the new corporate structure, we will also be expanding our product range within the Southern African region whilst retaining our reputation as the embodiment of innovation, technology, safety and relentless commitment to our customers’ safety.”

Two Arocs for Distribution vehicles will be launched in the first phase: The Arocs 2636L/57 6×2 and the Arocs 3345/48. Two distribution oriented cab variants are initially available, the M-Cab and L-Cab ClassicSpace.

The comfortable ClassicSpace Cab is designed fully for the needs and comfort of the driver in solo operation in distribution and national long-distance applications. It is designed on the basis of state-of-the-art ergonomic and safety criteria and offers generous interior and storage space.

The cab also features the newly developed seat concept with seats that have wider seat cushions. The functional colour concept of the interior design in flannel grey and greige enhances the feeling of well-being.

The 12,8-litre OM460 Euro III engine is initially available in two engine outputs of 265kW and 330 kW.

The new inline 6-cylinder engine configuration with exhaust gas turbo-charger and unit pump line injectors obtains high torque at low engine speeds and across a wider engine speed range contributing to much improved driving characteristics and a significant increase in fuel efficiency.

The Arocs 2636L/57 is a city and regional distribution vehicle optimised for efficiency, featuring a direct drive PowerShift 3 fully automated transmission and hypoid axles. Side cab air deflectors ensure aerodynamic efficiency by reducing wind turbulence between cab and body.

The Arocs 3345/48 is a versatile distribution vehicle with increased ground clearance, steel bumpers and swivel steps for on and off-highway distribution applications.

In order to meet all the given high requirements regarding durability and reliability, all components of the powertrain on the new Arocs are produced exclusively by Mercedes-Benz and are thus ideally coordinated.

The trucks’ total cost of ownership is further optimised by longer maintenance intervals and long service lives for the engine, transmission, and clutch.

The Arocs for distribution range is further equipped with a comprehensive range of standard safety equipment. Driver crash bag, Lane Assist and Attention Assist are standard equipment and a first for the distribution segment.

Attention Assist works on the assumption the ability of the driver to reliably keep the vehicle within a lane decreases with reduced attention.

A ‘monotony value’ is calculated on the basis of the driver activities. This assumes the attention paid by the driver falls due to the monotony of the driving situation with increasing journey time. If the driver exhibits active driving behaviour by operating the direction indicators/accelerator/engine brake/retarder, this has a positive effect on the “monotony value”.

If the limit values for attention stored in the system are reached after a defined driving distance, the driver is warned by a visual signal (yellow pop-up with stylised bed symbol and a message ‘Please take a break’) and a short audible signal on the instrument cluster. The pop-up menu is displayed until the driver acknowledges the warning with the OK button or deactivates Attention Assist. The warning is repeated every 15 min.

The new Arocs for Distribution comes standard with a 1 year/unlimited kilometre complete vehicle warranty and a 5 year/650,000km standard warranty on the powertrain.

Two Arocs for Construction vehicles will initially be launched. The Arocs 3336K/36 Tipper Chassis and the Arocs 3236B/51 8×4 Mixer Chassis. Initially one cab variant will be available, the S-Cab ClassicSpace.

The ClassicSpace S-Cab is designed fully for the needs and comfort of the driver in solo operation in short-haul applications and maximises the space available for body installation behind the cab.
At launch only the 265 kW 12,8-litre OM460 Euro III engine will be available with further engine outputs planned for later. For the first time in a construction vehicle the engine output is transferred as standard by an automated Mercedes PowerShift 3 transmission.

Drive programmes are available, which have been specifically developed for the vehicle’s varied range of applications. For construction vehicles the ‘Off-Road Drive’ programme is standard.

Off-road drive mode offers the driving set-ups Standard, Economy, Off-road and Manual. It is optimised for the special requirements of construction-site traffic.

On gravel roads or off-road the above-mentioned drive modes offer ideal performance in the respective situation in terms of dynamism when pulling away under high loads, gearshift points and shift dynamics.

The Arocs 3236B/51 is an 8×4 concrete mixer with 35 ton Gross Vehicle Weight that consistently makes the most of every possibility of reducing its own kerb weight. It features a weight optimised hypoid rear axle, light-weight aluminium fuel tank, disc brakes and aluminium rims to reduce kerb weight and increase payload. This enables the 8×4 mixer chassis to supply 8m3 of ready-mixed concrete on every trip.

The Arocs 3336K/36 is a tipper chassis with a short rear overhang featuring planetary axles, a double disc clutch, drum brakes, optimised for off-road use and a 16-speed Powershift 3 automated transmission with the ‘Off-Road Drive’ programme as standard.

For all freight carriers the platform mounting brackets are standard, all mixer chassis are standard with the mixer mounting brackets and all tipper chassis come standard with the tipper mounting brackets, together with the modular bolted frame, the 50 mm chassis hole pattern and the new generation Parameterisable Special Module (PSM) the turnaround time at a bodybuilder is significantly reduced.

The new Arocs for Construction comes standard with a 1 year/unlimited kilometre complete vehicle warranty and a 3 year/250,000km/5000 hours standard warranty on the powertrain.