Mercedes-Benz/Brazil and Allison Transmission have significantly increased their presence in Indonesia with the sale of over 250 OH 1626 model city buses equipped with Allison T 280R fully automatic transmissions. Approximately half of the transmissions were delivered last November and the buses are expected to start operating by the end of May as part of the Jakarta BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system and its feeder lines.
Alexandre Lasmar, Mercedes-Benz Sales and Exports Manager for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Allison was fundamental for us to be able to meet our customers’ demand in Indonesia. We have some projects together where the result has been very positive for us.
“The buses that we are selling with Allison transmissions bring excellent results such as comfort and safety for drivers and passengers, and low maintenance for vehicles.”
The OH 1626 buses are equipped with Allison’s fully automatic six-speed transmissions with a retarder. They also feature Allison’s FuelSense 2.0 technology, designed to reduce fuel consumption. The technology was designed to offer benefits particularly in urban applications with a lot of stop-and-go driving, such as city buses.
FuelSense 2.0 uses the DynActive Shifting system to offer an infinite number of shift point combinations. The tech uses a real-time learning algorithm to determine the optimal balance between fuel economy and performance.
“This is a very significant sale for Allison,” said Evaldo Oliveira, Director of Allison Transmission, South America. “As an extremely populated country, Indonesia has a broad and very efficient public transport service. The total bus market in the Asian country approaches 2,500 units a year, which shows us that we still have great possibilities to expand our business with Jakarta, mainly in partnership with Mercedes-Benz/Brazil, which is the sales leader in this market.”
