Every Semi Truck Brand Owned By Daimler

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Daimler is simply a sanction galore admit arsenic a powerhouse successful nan car manufacturing business. It has been associated pinch immoderate of nan best-known car brands successful nan world, including Mercedes-Benz (Daimler-Benz) and Chrysler (DaimlerChrysler), earlier yet rebranding arsenic Daimler AG from 2007 done 2022 erstwhile it was renamed Mercedes-Benz Group. This followed the determination to split nan Mercedes-Benz luxury car portion from nan truck-making division, Daimler Truck, which had been established arsenic a subsidiary of Daimler AG successful 2019. 

Despite being a comparatively young institution successful its existent form, Daimler Truck controls respective brands that collectively make it 1 of nan largest manufacturers of dense vehicles. But not each Daimler-operated marque is into semi motortruck production. Setra, for one, is simply a autobus shaper known for models for illustration nan ComfortClass S 407 and Setra S 515 HD. It's akin pinch Thomas Built Buses, which, arsenic nan sanction suggests, produces models specified arsenic nan Thomas Minotour schoolhouse bus. And while brands for illustration Rizon specialize successful motortruck manufacturing, nan institution only makes Class 4 and Class 5 medium-duty electrical trucks. With that successful mind, present are nan Daimler-owned brands that are really successful Class 8 motortruck production. 

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Freightliner is nan largest semi motortruck shaper successful nan U.S., holding 33.4% of marketplace stock arsenic of October 2025, according to information from Transport Topics. But it didn't conscionable stumble upon occurrence by chance. Based successful Portland, Oregon, Freightliner started arsenic nan truck-manufacturing section of Consolidated Freightways (CF). The institution was nan brainchild of then-CF president Leland James, who sought to build an aluminum cab-over-engine truck, arsenic he believed that utilizing aluminum alternatively of accepted alloy would trim weight and alteration drivers to tackle climbs amended erstwhile driving up a steep hill.

The institution was known arsenic Freightways Manufacturing astatine its inception successful 1940 but was renamed Freightliner Corporation successful 1942, nan aforesaid twelvemonth it gave america nan industry's first all-aluminum cab, nan Model 600. However, for illustration galore car manufacturers astatine nan time, nan corp turned to making vessel and craft components to support nan World War II effort. After nan war, Freightliner moved motortruck accumulation from Salt Lake City, Utah, to a caller manufacturing installation successful Portland, Oregon, wherever it started building mill bid trucks based connected customers' specifications. However, it wasn't until 1950 that Freightliner sold its first conveyance extracurricular Consolidated Freightways, to nan Portland-based forklift shaper Hyster Company. 

Freightliner saw further occurrence acknowledgment to expanding request and remained a CF-owned marque until 1981, erstwhile it was purchased by Daimler-Benz AG. With Daimler's backing, Freightliner was capable to find caller customers and bolster income for its vehicles complete nan adjacent 10 years, becoming nan top-selling heavy-duty motortruck shaper successful North America by 1992. It besides acquired respective brands complete nan years, including nan dense motortruck section of Ford Motor Company, which it rebranded arsenic Sterling Trucks – 1 of nan many ventures Ford has sold complete nan years.

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After World War I, Gottlieb Daimler's Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft (also known arsenic DMG) and Carl Benz's Benz & Cie. experienced financial difficulties owed to post-war economical changes. And truthful nan 2 companies decided to collaborate, opening life arsenic a associated task successful 1924 and formally merging successful 1926 to afloat utilization economies of scale. That determination resulted successful nan statement of Daimler-Benz AG, which marketed its vehicles nether nan Mercedes-Benz name. 

True to nan intent for which it was founded, Mercedes-Benz has since go a celebrated brand. Today, its motortruck manufacturing limb ranks among nan starring brands successful Europe, acknowledgment to perennial favorites specified arsenic nan Mercedes-Benz Actros series, known for their blend of driving comfortableness and substance efficiency. In summation to its combustion-powered models, Mercedes-Benz Trucks besides offers electrical trucks specified arsenic nan eager all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, which moreover group a reverse driving record. 

Mercedes-Benz Trucks besides serves markets successful Asia, Africa, South America, and nan Middle East, wherever it offers light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks. The automotive behemoth equips these vehicles pinch its ain powertrains, which it makes successful various accumulation sites crossed Germany and Brazil.

In 2008, Daimler teamed up pinch Indian patient Hero Group to shape a caller associated task — 60% owned by Daimler — dedicated to building mean and dense commercialized vehicles for nan Indian market. However, some companies were forced to backtrack connected plans for nan Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles (DHCV) associated task nan pursuing twelvemonth owed to nan economical situation successful India. Hero Group exited nan confederation a twelvemonth later successful 2009, bringing an extremity to DHCV successful nan process.

Daimler AG pressed guardant pinch its plans anyway, launching Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) arsenic its Indian subsidiary, establishing BharatBenz successful 2012. The aforesaid twelvemonth saw nan motorboat of BharatBenZ's first heavy-, medium-, and light-duty trucks. BharatBenz trucks are produced astatine DICV's Oragadam manufacturing installation adjacent Chennai successful Tamil Nadu. In a small complete a decade of operation, much than 200,000 vehicles person been produced for nan home marketplace astatine nan plant, pinch a further 73,000 units shipped overseas.

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When Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Company (MFTBC) was spun disconnected into its ain entity successful 2003, DaimlerChrysler AG had already been progressive pinch Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC). The German automotive group had purchased a important 34% liking successful Mitsubishi Motor Corp(worth 2.1 billion) successful March 2000 successful a bid to grow its beingness successful Japanese and East Asian markets. So erstwhile nan opportunity arose to unafraid a further foothold, DaimlerChrysler didn't hesitate to walk an further $767.7 cardinal for a 43% liking successful MFTBC, pinch Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and different Mitsubishi Group companies retaining ownership stakes of 42 and 15%, respectively.

In January of 2004, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. agreed to waste 22% of its shares successful MFTBC to DaimlerChrysler AG successful a woody worthy $489.4 million. That gave nan German elephantine a larger 65% stake, which was further accrued to 85% successful February, erstwhile it was granted an further 20% arsenic compensation for financial damages resulting from value issues and defect coverups astatine Mitsubishi Fuso. In 2011, Daimler raised its liking successful MFTBC to 89.29% done a €271 cardinal investment, leaving Mitsubishi Group Companies pinch only 10.71%. By 2017, Mitsubishi Fuso had introduced a mates of absorbing vehicles, including nan all-new Mitsubishi Super Great.

Now, MFTBC is looking to push moreover further into motortruck stratosphere, arsenic it prepares to merge pinch Toyota's motortruck subsidiary, Hino, successful 2026 to shape a caller holding company, Archion. Operations are expected to statesman successful April 2026, though Fuso and Hino will proceed to tally arsenic 2 abstracted companies.

Western Star was 1 of nan companies acquired by Daimler done Freightliner, and is by kindness of that takeover now owned by Daimler Truck North America. The $670 cardinal finance gave DaimlerChrysler ownership of respective properties, including Western Star's office and motortruck works successful Kelowna, British Columbia, on pinch a 460,000-square-foot manufacturing installation successful North Charleston, South Carolina. Ontario Bus Industries  — and its autobus manufacturing sites successful Mississauga, Ontario and Oriskany, New York — was besides portion of nan deal.

Western Star has since moved accumulation to Portland, Oregon. It presently offers premium Class 8 trucks for special-purpose and long-distance haulage. These see models specified arsenic nan Western Star 47X and 49X for vocational applications, arsenic good arsenic on-highway trucks for illustration nan Western Star 57X. However, Western Star's niche focus means it doesn't move retired arsenic galore vehicles arsenic immoderate of its competitors. Western Star's income stay good beneath those of larger rivals specified arsenic Freightliner and Kenworth.