Mercedes-Benz Actros, Built in Turkey

German carmaker Daimler announced today plans to launch the Mercedes-Benz Actros in Turkey later this year and, after the trucks will enter production at the Aksaray facility. The move is deemed essential by Daimler to tap into new market segments in the country, as the 41.1 percent market share in the heavy-duty trucks segment shows there's still room for expansion.

“We are following a clear growth strategy for our flagship vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz Actros. An important step in this effort is to quickly and flexibly meet the significantly increasing demand for heavy-duty, long-distance road haulage trucks in the premium segment in Turkey,” Hubertus Troska, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks said in a release.

According to Daimler, expanding production of the Actros in Turkey will allow for the safeguard of employment for the work force at the Worth plant. This is because Actros trucks will initially be sent from Worth (the biggest Mercedes-Benz truck plant) to Aksaray in the form of kits.

The kits will then be assembled in Turkey and will comprise semitrailer trucks and the construction-site version of the Actros. All the trucks use BlueTec engines and meet the Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions standards.

“We have had a strong presence in the important growth market in Turkey for many years, and we will continue to invest despite the crisis — that’s a clear signal of our commitment to Turkey as a production location. In addition, the greater flexibility we achieve by linking the Wörth and Aksaray plants is very important,” Yaris Pursun, Mercedes-Benz Trucks Worth and Aksaray production chief added.