iF product design award 2013: Mercedes-Benz Actros wins international design award once again

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The iF label is recognised worldwide as a hallmark of excellent design – a cachet that now attaches to the new Mercedes-Benz Actros. This year, 49 experts from the areas of design, industry and education chose their favourites from over 3000 entries.

The competition forms part of the “iF design awards”, which are now in their 60th year – organised by the International Forum Design, which is based in Hanover and stages exhibitions worldwide. Each year, the awards for excellent design are presented in the three disciplines "product”, “communication” and “packaging".

The jury spent three days viewing, handling, testing and analysing the entries behind closed doors.

"All award-winning entries are examples of exceptional product design," affirms the statement by the international expert jury. Key criteria are target group appeal and content, design quality and creativity, relevance to the customer, economy, originality and innovation. The winning entries at the “iF design” awards reflect current design trends and the economic credentials of well designed objects.

"The fact that our Actros has won such an important design award is a magnificent acknowledgement of our daily work," notes Kai Sieber, Head of Design for Mercedes-Benz Trucks & Vans.

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros has already won the "red dot" design award from the Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, the "German Design Award 2013" in the category "Transportation and Public Space" and the "Focus in Gold 2012" from the Design Center Stuttgart.

The flagship truck from Mercedes-Benz has won over the international juries with the high quality and ergonomics of its interior and the consistent exterior design of the vehicle's different variants.

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros

The new Actros model series produced in Wörth is predestined for long-haul transport. The designers have gone back to the drawing board to evolve a totally new Actros that meets the ever increasing requirements with regard to comfort, economy, driving dynamics and diversity. In terms of equipment options and models, the diversity of the series offers a perfectly configured vehicle for virtually any type of deployment in long-haul transport.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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iF product design award 2013: Mercedes-Benz design takes top honours in international competition

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The designers at Mercedes-Benz have been rewarded for their one-off Concept Style Coupé vehicle and Actros with the internationally renowned "iF product design award 2013". Last year the Concept Style Coupé laid down the template for the lines of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, which has recently celebrated its world premiere. With its avant-garde design, this four-door Coupé is now establishing a new segment. For the Actros, the “iF product design award” is the fourth consecutive major design prize.

For decades, the "iF product design award" has ranked as one of the world's most important design awards and represents the seal of approval for outstanding design. This year, some 49 experts from the areas of design, industry and education selected their favourite items from among more than 3000 contributions. As part of this process, the Concept Style Coupé and Actros from Mercedes-Benz emerged victorious against some established competitors.

With the Concept Style Coupé, Mercedes-Benz delivered a convincing statement in favour of the avant-garde design of sporty coupés. The four-door Coupé presents itself as a style rebel: non-conformist, provocative and masculine. Technical highlights include a striking headlamp design featuring innovative indicators, the new four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 155 kW (211 hp), and also the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.

"The response to the Concept Style Coupé was overwhelming. The most frequent comment by far was 'Please put this car into series production.' That's precisely what we are doing now," explains Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. As the recently presented newcomer to the range, with its frameless doors the Mercedes-Benz CLA adopts the design of the Concept Style Coupé concept vehicle and seamlessly transfers it into series production. In this way, Mercedes-Benz is once again demonstrating that the concept vehicles of the premium automotive manufacturer are completely at home in the real world.

The Concept Style Coupé has already received the "Best of Best" award at the Automotive Brand Contest.

Also recognised was the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle design. For the Actros, the “iF product design award” is the fourth consecutive major design prize.

The flagship commercial vehicle has already received the “red dot” design award from the Design Centre in North-Rhine Westphalia, the “German Design Award 2013” in the “Transportation and Public Space” category and the “Focus in Gold 2012” from the Design Center Stuttgart.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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BossHoss rock the IAA Commercial Vehicles show with the new Mercedes-Benz Antos and Actros

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On each day of the IAA Commercial Vehicles show the asphalt cowboys of country rock band BossHoss took to the truck stage at the top of every hour to treat their fans to a rendition of their song "Truckstar", which is dedicated to the new Antos. Also in the spotlight were the two stars of the show – the new Actros and the new Antos – , along with four striking girl dancers. The new Mercedes-Benz trucks displayed their strengths in impressive style, both in a video clip and "in the flesh" at the show. The video presents the new Antos in various heavy-duty distribution scenarios. The bass-dominated sound starts up in sync with the new in-line engine and segues into the performing band. The back of the stage opens up in a blaze of dry ice and coloured light and Boss and Hoss take to the stage to kick off their stage show. The BossHoss have been working together with Mercedes-Benz Trucks for some years now. The song "My Way", a homage to the new Actros, is a clear highlight, along with "Flaming Star", which was to be heard at the IAA show in praise of the trusty Actros. The BossHoss had a further ace up their sleeve with their new title "Truckstar", the two Berliners' new composition for the new Antos which they premiered at the show. The lyrics are about the truck with the star on its radiator and the airbrushed urban cowboy scenes on its door. The chorus – "All or nothing, more than everything, I want the best by far" – sums up both the music and the new heavy duty Antos distribution truck.

Truck'n'Roll Rules

It was back in 2006 that the BossHoss enjoyed a rousing reception from 30,000 truckers at the Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Such enthusiasm prompted the band and Mercedes-Benz Trucks to dedicate the hymn "Truck'n'Roll Rules" to the drivers. The appurtenant video was shot by director Detlev Buck ("Männerpension"). Further trucker hits duly followed in the guise of a version of Elvis Presley's classic "Flaming Star" and the number "Rock On Rock".

BossHoss's music embodies the trucker's lifestyle to perfection. Truckers enjoy listening to their music and celebrate the band enthusiastically at the major truck festivals. The drivers appreciate the esteem demonstrated for the highway cowboys – particularly as they and the band share a similar way of life: the band members are often apart from their families for weeks on end while on tour, cruising along unfamiliar motorways with their tour bus and the Actros equipment convoy in the midnight hour and forever discovering new places and people. And absolute punctuality is also a prime necessity both for truckers at the loading ramp and a band when it's time to hit the stage. This calls for reliable trucks on tour – no wonder, then, that this year's "Liberty Tour" has been supported by Mercedes-Benz in the shape of 5 new Actros articulated vehicles.

Curtains up for the "Liberty Tour"

On ten evenings in the spring, the asphalt cowboys fronted by "Boss" Völkel and Sascha "Hoss" Vollmer presented their current top ten album, "Liberty of Action", along with numerous older hits.

The tour took the Berlin band around Germany, Austria and Switzerland. These dates were followed in April by five club shows under the banner "Liberty of Europe" in England, Denmark and the Netherlands. Mid-June saw The BossHoss launch the "Summer of Action": eight open-air appearances in Germany and Austria, including the legendary Wacken Open Air festival.

Only right, then, that the equipment for the lavish stage show should be transported from city to city on a truck bearing the Mercedes star - the new Actros, to which The BossHoss recently dedicated the number "My Way".

The tour convoy comprises no less than five new Actros lowliners in white.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Actros wins 2012 red dot design award

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Mercedes-Benz sets sustainable trends in truck design with maximum aesthetic appeal. The judging panel of the most internationally acclaimed design competition has acknowledged this fact by awarding the Stuttgart-based company the coveted red dot award for the new Actros truck.

1,800 manufacturers and designers from 58 countries submitted entries this year for consideration by the experts at the prestigious red dot awards, which are regarded as a seal of quality for outstanding design. The high-profile jury of international and independent experts assessed over 4,500 products in a competition that recognises well-conceived innovative products, aesthetic quality and pioneering design. The highly respected judging panel under Professor Peter Zec, the initiator and director of the red dot design awards, felt that the new truck by Mercedes-Benz met these ambitious criteria: "What is important is a durable and functional design idiom that continues to look appealing and modern for years to come. The new Actros balances function with perfect exterior form".

Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle design director Kai Sieber confirmed this assessment by saying that for this truck "both form and function are a key focus. It is made as if from a single cast". The first generation of the Actros also won the coveted award back in 1998.

The publication 'Dimensions', produced to coincide with the market launch of the new Actros by Mercedes-Benz Trucks, has also been honoured with a red dot award – in the Magazines & Daily Press category. The publication presents the truck as it has never been seen before, treating the new Mercedes-Benz Actros more like a design object than a business asset. The images are beautifully photographed and the unusual editorial layout adds to the overall presentation of the concept.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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