Following its world premiere in Berlin, the new Mercedes-Benz Actros has since celebrated its trade fair premiere at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. With more than 60 technological innovations, the design of the new Actros has also seen a big change. Especially noticeable is the absence of regular exterior mirrors. Instead, the new version of the heavy-duty truck comes as standard with the dynamically designed MirrorCam and thus benefits from more homogeneous proportions. “Design-wise the new Actros is revolutionary. The focus is no longer primarily on the exterior– namely iron and steel. The interaction between driver and truck is now more the focal point. This becomes obvious as soon as you see the new interior”, said Gorden Wagener, Daimler’s Chief Design Officer.
The typical front headlamps with LED daytime running lights also contribute to the progressive look of the truck: the new, flowing light signature on the upper headlamp edge makes the Actros unmistakeable at night. During the day, the new, standard LED daytime running lights help ensure that the Actros is as conspicuous as possible for other road users. Besides the advanced exterior, the modern truck interior is also a key feature in the design of the new Actros. In the new Actros, the interior design was resolutely designed around the driver’s needs – “inside-out” to put it another way. Formative for the design process was thus the “User Experience” of the driver. And this can be seen best in the Multimedia Cockpit. Two free-floating, extremely high-resolution displays replace the traditional cockpit.
The operating concept of the displays features a three-level approach with increasing information density: the upper-most level houses the home screen. With just a single operating step, users are taken to the main applications, for example the radio or navigation system. Fleetboard functionality has also been included in the secondary display. And the integration of external apps, for example from body manufacturers, is also possible here. The Multimedia Cockpit of the new Actros is part of the standard equipment and features a 10-inch primary display.
