2010 FIFA World Cup, Driven by Daimler

German carmaker Daimler announced today it managed to get a spot on the center stage of next year's soccer World Cup, to be held in South Africa. The manufacturer will deliver no less than 460 Mercedes-Benz coaches, as part of an order placed by Autopax Passenger Service, the country's largest operator of regular-service long-distance coaches. The delivery of all the coaches must be completed until April 2010.

“We are delighted that we’ve landed such an important contract for the World Cup in South Africa. It shows what a great reputation Mercedes-Benz buses have worldwide and how much confidence our customers have in them. At 460 vehicles, Daimler Buses is delivering by far the largest number of coaches for upcoming top-events in South Africa,” Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses said.

The buses will be assembled locally in East London, South Africa, after the chassis of the 460 type O 500 RSD coaches will arrive from Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. Just in the nick of time to handle the big order, Daimler invested 1 million euros to increase production capacity and expand the workforce.

“With this order we are not only expanding the sales volume of buses in South Africa, but also handling vehicle maintenance,” Holger Suffel, Daimler Buses head of sales added. “This underlines our competency as professional service provider.”

The coaches in question are equipped with a fully electronic management engine developing 335 hp, paired with a fully automatic transmission with integrated retarder. On the inside, the coaches come in two versions, either 52 or 61 seaters, each seat being fitted with seat-belts. All the coaches are equipped with air-conditioning, entertainment equipment including DVD and MP3 player and monitors, and microphone facilities.