Mercedes-Benz Vans to be transport partner of Russia’s top economic and investment forums
Moscow, March 7, 2017 – Mercedes-Benz Vans is supplying the comfortable V-Class, Sprinter, and Sprinter Classic vehicles to guests at the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 4th International Arctic Forum, the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the International Financial Congress, the Eastern Economic Forum, the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, and the Russian Investment Forum.
“We have agreed to cooperate long-term with Mercedes-Benz Vans on vehicle support for the Roscongress Foundation’s key business events. The company will supply transport services for high-ranking guests and participants in events, matching our requirements in terms of convenience, comfort, and safety,” noted Alexander Stuglev, Chief Executive Officer of the Roscongress Foundation.
Premium V-Class minivans and spacious, comfortable minibuses based on the German Sprinter and Russian Sprinter Classic models will transport guests and participants of the forums.
The V-Class brings together the comfort of a car and the space of a commercial vehicle. Up to four people can be accommodated in its comfortable passenger compartment. Its variable seating system means that the seats in the second row can be placed in the direction of travel or opposite each other, while the third row provides a place where people can talk comfortably. The passenger compartment has space for storing and charging mobile devices. This class of vehicle is often chosen as a corporate shuttle bus for company management.
Minibuses based on the Sprinter Classic are popular in Russia because of their quality and safety. Since it works with Russian companies and coachbuilders, Mercedes-Benz can make vehicles according to individual specifications and according to a client’s business requirements.
“The aim of the forums is to bring together the efforts of government and business in order to overcome the post-crisis period as quickly as possible, to develop the regions, and to build an effective dialogue between all levels of power and all the players in the Russian market,” said General Director of Mercedes-Benz Vans in Russia Soeren Haese. “Russia is one of the leading and most important markets for Mercedes-Benz Vans. As part of our global development strategy, in 2013 we worked in partnership with Gaz Group to launch the assembly of the Sprinter Classic cars in Nizhny Novgorod, and engines for them in Yaroslavl. Our cooperation with leading Russian manufacturers of light commercial vehicles is an example of how well the strategy is working. Forum guests will be able to judge the results for themselves.”
Info
The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential and strengthening the country’s image by organizing conventions, exhibitions, and public events. The Foundation develops substantive content for such events, providing companies and organizations with advice, information, and expert guidance, and offering comprehensive evaluation, analysis, and coverage of the Russian and global economic agendas.
Mercedes Benz Vans imports compact, medium- and large-sized vehicles – including the Citan, Vito, and Sprinter – to Russia. It manufactures the Sprinter Classic in cooperation with the Gaz Group in Nizhny Novgorod. More than 17,600 Sprinter Classics have been sold since 2013. As well as being sold on the domestic market, the Sprinter Classic is exported to Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia.
Engines for the Sprinter Classic have been manufactured since 2013 at the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. Since January 2016, engines for the Sprinter Classic which are made in Yaroslavl meet the Euro-5 emission standards, and come in two versions, 80 kW (109 hp capacity) and 100 kW (136 hp). Yaroslavl is the world’s only supplier of some of the parts for these engines.
Mercedes-Benz is well known as a pioneer of numerous safety systems. All its minibuses, including the Sprinter Classic, have the latest Electronic Stability Program (ESP) 9i, which includes about 10 different systems which increase stability and driving safety, from the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and acceleration skid control (ASR) to load adaptive control and roll over mitigation (LAC and ROM). The suspension of these light vehicles is specially strengthened for Russian roads, combining comfort and reliability. All public transport and tourist buses have, in accordance with Russian law, been fitted with the ERA-GLONASS emergency response systems since 2016.
Thanks to cooperation with certified Russian companies and coachbuilders, minibuses, vans, refrigerator trucks, ambulances, vehicles equipped with special laboratories, mobile food vans, armoured vehicles, and customisable vehicles with flat cargo beds and many other modifications are all manufactured based on the Sprinter Classic.