Mercedes-Benz eEconic and its ilk have the capacity to pick much of the lowhanging carbon fruit. Photo: Daimler Truck.
WHEN IT’S ANYTHING BUT
NORMAL Story by Dave McCoid
Pictures by Dave McCoid and as credited
Having the Mercedes-Benz eEconic a feature of the Daimler Truck stand at the Brisbane Truck Show this year, it’s not surprising Special Trucks divisional head, Franziska Cusumano was in town. Although there to celebrate all of the charges in her keep, there’s no doubt eEconic’s impending arrival on the Australasian scene is a significant opportunity for the company through the next phase of regional decarbonisation.
A
nything but normal’ is a headline easily able to sum up the general mood in global road transport. Yet, anything but normal is the only constant for the 1000 folk who work in the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks division. With three products – Unimog, Zetros, and Econic, this fascinating part of the Daimler Truck empire is sited at two locations – the main plant in Wörth, Germany, and the customer-specific conversion and adaptation facility in
Molsheim, France. The level of adaptation, evolution and customisation in the division is hard to convey, but it’s probably best exemplified by the fact a fifth of the headcount works in pre-development and development testing. Indeed, the division has its own R&D budget. Special Trucks then, are the experts for special applications and tricky customer requests. “It’s an exciting area to work in,” says the head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, Franziska Cusumano.
34 New Zealand Trucking August 2023
“Although a lot of our work stems from the not-so-good things that happen; floods, fires, humanitarian aid, and of course, military applications, it’s heartening to know our vehicles are chosen because they can be relied on to get help through.” Unimog and Zetros are the go-anywhere solutions, and it would be fair to say that Unimog is the betterknown member of the duo. For decades, the ‘Moggy’ has enjoyed an almost cult-like status worldwide for capability and an
unwillingness to lie down and die. “There’s a standing joke,” laughs Cusumano. “Asking a customer how long their Unimogs last? The answer coming back, ‘I don’t know yet, they’re only 60’.” Zetros, the bigger, bonneted, unstoppable option, is equally rugged but doesn’t enjoy the same limelight. If the Unimog is too small for the average punter, then often an all-wheel-drive Arocs will likely suffice. That leaves Zetros for the real gnarly, up-sized ‘go where no truck has gone before’
