A 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz Actros truck has driven its way into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most economical series-production truck.
In a test conducted under the eye of DEKRA, the German automotive inspection agency, the standard-specification truck and trailer combination consumed just 19.44 litres of fuel per 100kms in a test conducted at Nardo in southern Italy.
Covering over 12,728kms on a seven-day, round-the-clock drive, it consumed the equivalent of less than 0.8 litres per 100 tonne-kilometres driving at an average speed of 80kms/h.
Equally impressive from an environmental perspective was its reduced CO2 emissions at 20.5 grams per tonne of payload and kilometre.
The new Actros, which arrived here last September, was voted winner of the Irish Truck of the Year award.
Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles division has achieved success on the double, according to figures released for the month of January.
In the heavy commercials segment, they got off to a strong start topping the market with an impressive share of 23.22 per cent - a performance more than twice as high as their January 2008 figure of 9.40 per cent - achieved in a market that has declined by 67.4 per cent overall.
Driving this achievement was the success of the recently-introduced Actros which arrived here last September. Voted Irish Truck of the Year award winner, the new Actros has been entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most economical series-production truck.
In the vans segment, where the overall market is down by 80.55 per cent, the performance of Mercedes-Benz was no less impressive with a share of 7.7 per cent - up by 48 per cent from the January 2008 figure of 5.27 per cent.
