Daimler Buses GmbH is celebrating its 30th anniversary. On February 23,1995, EvoBus GmbH was established by a merger of the former Daimler‑Benz AG bus division and the former Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH bus division, based in Ulm. Since then, Mercedes-Benz and Setra brand buses have been operating under one roof. In 2023, the company was renamed Daimler Buses GmbH. The wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck is responsible for European bus activities and is part of the global Daimler Buses segment of the entire Group.
Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses: “In 1995, we laid the foundation for a true success story and brought together the best of both worlds. Today, we are the market leader in our most important key markets and with production locations in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm, we are the only manufacturer of buses over 8 tons producing in Germany. This is something we can be proud of. I am convinced that we are well positioned for the future and that we will continue to drive forward the transformation of locally CO2-neutral passenger transport with our vehicles.”
Bruno Buschbacher, Chairman of the General Works Council of Daimler Buses GmbH: “Since the merger, the works councils at the Mannheim and Neu-Ulm sites have worked with employees to overcome many challenges, enabling Mercedes-Benz city buses and Setra coaches and inter-city buses to assert themselves in a highly competitive market. The target picture for 2033, which we agreed with the enterprise two years ago, has made bus production in Germany competitive in the long term. This will help to ensure good and attractive jobs at both locations.”
Last year, the Daimler Buses segment sold around 26,600 units worldwide, and had a headcount of more than 15,000 employees, thus marking another successful year.
Local support for the merger
The merger of the Mercedes-Benz Buses product unit of the former Daimler-Benz AG brand and the Setra bus brand of the former Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH proved to be a challenge for those involved. As Mercedes-Benz and Setra were market leaders in the bus industry, political and antitrust hurdles first had to be overcome. The people of Ulm and Neu-Ulm supported the merger and took to the streets to show their approval on February 1, 1995. After the successful antitrust review by the German Federal Government and with the support of the entire region, EvoBus GmbH was established on February 23, 1995.
Daimler Buses relies on long-term production in Germany
Establishing an efficient production network between the traditional Daimler-Benz site in Mannheim and the Kässbohrer plants in Neu-Ulm, Holýšov (Czech Republic) and Ligny-en-Barrois (France) was already one of the strategic objectives when the enterprise was founded. Over the years, Daimler Buses has expanded its production network to include additional sites in Samano (Spain) and Hoşdere (Turkey). To this day, the enterprise relies on this production network, with the two German sites in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm playing key roles: The Mannheim plant is the competence center for electrically powered city buses, the Neu-Ulm plant is the competence center for coaches of all drive types and the only site that manufactures Setra coaches. Daimler Buses is set to invest around 150 million Euros in the two German sites by the end of the decade.
The future firmly in our sights: a focus on electrification
Daimler Buses has a clear e-roadmap for the electrification of its vehicles across all segments. In line with the dual strategy of parent company Daimler Truck, Daimler Buses is relying on both battery-electric and hydrogen-based technologies.
The fully battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro city bus has been in series production since 2018. The vehicle has also been available with a hydrogen-based fuel cell as a range extender since 2023. The battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eIntouro is scheduled to follow from 2026 onwards. In addition, Daimler Buses plans to have electrically powered coaches in its portfolio by the end of the decade.
Daimler Buses aims to use these to offer battery or hydrogen-based CO2-neutral models for local applications in each segment by 2030. The focus will initially be on the core markets of Europe and Latin America. By 2039, only CO2-neutral new vehicles will be sold for local applications in the core market of Europe. In the city bus segment, this is to be the case in Europe as early as 2030.
Furthermore, Daimler Buses is already providing its expertise today to support its customers during the transition to electrically powered buses. In June 2023, the enterprise established a new subsidiary, Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH, which fully specializes in the design and development of electric and H2-infrastructures.
SOURCE: Daimler Truck
