Mercedes-Benz has secured two major orders in Saudi Arabia. SAPTCO, the largest intercity operator in Saudi Arabia, has ordered 300 of the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coaches produced by Mercedes-Benz in Turkey, stated a press release.
Delivery of a further 150 urban buses based on the O 500 M 1728 chassis produced in Brazil and equipped with a Marcopolo body has also been agreed to, with both orders to be delivered in 2003.
Following a further invitation to tender issued by the state-owned transport operator in Dubai, Mercedes-Benz has also won an order to supply 130 urban buses. This consignment is made up of 120 Conecto vehicles, also produced in Turkey, as well as 10 buses produced by DaimlerChrysler in Brazil. These vehicles will be delivered by mid-2003.
These latest major deals mean that orders for a total of over 1,300 buses and coaches bearing the Mercedes star will have been received from the Arabian Peninsula within the space of a year. In September 2001, Saudi Arabian operator TASECO had already ordered 800 vehicles for pilgrimages, equipped with a chassis produced at the DaimlerChrysler plant in Brazil and a body made by Marcopolo.
DaimlerChrysler sold over 37,000 complete buses, coaches and chassis world-wide in 2001. The full-line product range includes country-specific chassis variants for urban buses, inter-urban buses and coaches as well as a complete range of buses and coaches covering everything from minibuses to double-deckers. The company produces buses and coaches under the Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Orion and Thomas-Built brand names at locations in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
