SPY: A new generation of the Unimog multi-purpose truck arrives in 2013

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is an unbeatable legend: no other truck in the world can equal it in terms versatility, mobility and practicality. Last year, the company celebrated the 60th anniversary of this amazing vehicle and, according to insiders, a new generation is planned to bow sometime next year. Sources speculate the new Unimog will gain the aesthetic influence from the spectacular design concept presented in 2011. In addition, there will also be some upgrades to the powertrain and chassis, but those shall not affect the all-time, widely-recognized attributes of the special truck. As all the other future models of the Stuttgart-based constructor, the Unimog is too going through the usual cold weather development in Northern Scandinavia. Follow after the break and see more scoops!

Image Credits: Motor Authority

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Mercedes-Benz Unimog receives "Off-road Vehicle of the Year 2012" award

For the eighth time in succession, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog has been chosen as the best cross-country vehicle of the year by the readers of the trade magazine "Off-Road" in the category "special vehicles". The award "Off-road Vehicle of the Year 2012 – special vehicles category" was based on the votes given to the cross-country vehicles in the eight categories of the competition run by the old-established Munich magazine for off-road vehicles. The off-road obelisk was presented in a ceremonial atmosphere at a gala evening in Munich's theatre tent "Das Schloss". More than 57,000 votes were handed in by 16 January and there were 143 vehicles from 40 manufacturers to choose from. In the category for special vehicles, the Unimog took first place with an outstanding 34,3 % of the readers' votes.


The following categories were available: "off-road vehicles", "luxury off-road vehicles", "sports utility vehicles (SUV)", "luxury SUV", "classics", "pick-ups", "special vehicles" and "crossover vehicles". Among the special vehicles entered – i.e. off-road vehicles designed to transport goods and loads to remote areas, or also to be used as the basis for special bodies for fire-fighting, expedition and military vehicles – the Unimog was clearly more than one step ahead. Particular praise was given to its characteristic product features such as its outstanding off-road mobility due to portal axles and extreme torsional flexibility combined with its extreme toughness and stability.

Where the Unimog gets through, others don't even arrive

The outstandingly mobile off-road Unimog product range U 4000/U 5000 has been produced in Wörth since 2002 as a special vehicle for complicated jobs in remote areas only accessible over difficult terrain with no roads or tracks. It is mainly used by fire services – in particular for fighting forest fires – as well as for disaster control, expeditions and servicing and maintenance work in hard to reach areas – with the slogan "Where the Unimog gets through, others don't even arrive".

As a result, Unimog models U 4000 and U 5000 are the ideal supplement to vehicles in product ranges U 300 to U 500 which are off-road implement carriers mainly found working for public services, municipal contractors, the construction and energy industries as well as for in-plant transport and road-rail operations. The youngest member of the Unimog family is the compact Unimog U 20 which was launched in 2008.
"Off-Road" magazine has been giving its readers the opportunity to vote for their off-road vehicle of the year since 1982.

60 Years of Mercedes-Benz Unimog – the success of an idea

Sixty-one years ago, on 3 June 1951 to be exact, the first Mercedes-Benz Unimog rolled off the line in Gaggenau. A unique vehicle concept had been created with great off-road mobility due to its four-wheel drive and fast driving features for road use.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Scaffolding trade relies on the Unimog

Using the Unimog in various trades has a long history as its adaptability is a great advantage in this extremely diversified sector. Among those companies who really appreciate the Unimog is the scaffolding company Schneider Ltd. and its working relationship with this competent all-rounder goes back for about 30 years. Scaffolding erected by this Sonthofen company on churches, hospitals, schools, industrial buildings and mountain railway stations can be anything up to 50 metres high. One of the scaffolding company's key operations is renting out over 40 self-propelling aerial working platforms. This is where the Unimog U 400 comes into its own as it is able to do a really good job with its additional customised implements. The U 400 delivers all the equipment directly to the construction sites, taking even challenging mountain passes in its stride.


Top marks for Unimog after-sales service

Three generations of scaffold-builders at Schneider Ltd have been impressed by the after-sales service provided by Wohlgschaft in Wangen, the Unimog general distributor for the region. In particular the scaffolding company appreciates the Unimog GD's pick-up and delivery service, as well as its servicing of both equipment and vehicles. And Schneider passes on Wohlgschafft's reliability to its own customers by being able to stick to agreed-on dates. This is vital for renting out aerial working platforms and supplying the equipment on the agreed date has to be guaranteed.

The experts at the UGD in Wangen also do the configuration for the high performance U 400 fleet. Two trailer couplings – ball type and jaw type – for various types of trailer, compressed air connections for tricky manoeuvring, winches on the flatbed and implements for winter services ensure that the Unimog is kept busy year-round doing various kinds of work.

As usual, the U 400 product range also cuts a good figure in the scaffolding business with its off-road capabilities, manoeuvrability, handling and comfort, as well as with its narrow outer width of 2.20 metres. The Sonthofen scaffold- builders emphasise that the Unimog is unrivalled in the way it deals with the mountainous terrain and inaccessible construction sites found especially in the Allgäu area. And here the U 400 ensures that scaffold-builder Schneider's principles –punctuality and quality – are here to stay.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Riding high with the Unimog U 5000

The Unimog 5000 meets even the most challenging objectives: it is used between May and October each year to carry the streams of tourists from the Etna cable car station at 2500 metres up to the Torre del Filosofo. Here, at 2935 metres above sea level, is where the hiking trail begins for those tourists who want to be as close as possible to the lava fields. More than 300,000 tourists are drawn each year to Sicily by the prospect of climbing Mount Etna.


The Unimog range, which has been built since 2002 at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth, is the ideal candidate for use in the harsh conditions that prevail on Etna: the only vehicle concept of this type in the world, it guarantees the ultimate off-road capability. A flexible ladder frame, all-wheel drive with differential locks in both axles, which are in fact portal axles, and the central tire inflation system Tirecontrol – every single technical detail plays its part in ensuring that the "Universal-Motor-Gerät", or "Universal Motor Device" – the German version of which provides the acronym that makes up the Unimog name - remains a dependable partner on the rough tracks and ash fields of Europe's highest active volcano.

Transport, maintenance procedures, construction work – full programme on Mount Etna
The extremely versatile Unimog carries out vital duties against a spectacular backdrop: a bus body on the U 5000 provides seats for the tourists, carrying them safely from the cable car station all the way up the steep track. Also in service on Etna is a U1550 L, fitted with the necessary attachments for its task of clearing snow or ash from the tracks. The versatility of the Unimog has also come into its own during the building of a new cable car to replace one that was destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

Award-winning model series with a 60-year history

In 2011, the readers of the specialist magazine "Off Road" voted the series 4000 to 5000 Unimog the best off-road vehicle of the year in the category of special-purpose vehicles. Its use on Mount Etna provides renewed evidence of how worthy of the honour the award-winning Unimog is. The principle areas of application for this model series are in tricky off-road terrain far off the beaten track, for example in situations involving the fire services, disaster control or expedition support, or for service and maintenance work in poorly accessible areas.

The broad scope of its potential areas of operation, the unique vehicle concept and the longevity of the vehicles all help to explain the popularity that the various Unimog model series have enjoyed for over sixty years now. Since production started, more than 380,000 units of the Unimog have been built.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Unimog U 500 with 4-wheel steering defies heavy snowfall in the Austrian Vorarlberg area

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is in all-year-round use in the Austrian Vorarlberg region: snow clearing, road and crash barrier cleaning as well as grass verge mowing duties have been undertaken for many years now with the help of the "Universal-Motor-Gerät", or "Universal Motor Device", commonly known as the Unimog. In early 2012, the tropical cyclone "Andrea" brought particular challenges for the Unimog fleet operated out of the Felsenau depot near Feldkirch/Frastanz, which is responsible for road maintenance services on some two-thirds of the roads in the Vorarlberg region. More than ten metres of fresh snow fell on the Arlberg pass, the most important link between Austria's most westerly region and Innsbruck, taking the highway maintenance authorities by surprise. The situation was similarly dramatic in the Montafon region, over towards the Silvretta high Alpine road, in the Great Walser Valley and on the Flexen route towards Zürs and Lech. The only vehicle up to the task was the 210 kW (286 hp) Unimog U 500 fitted with a Schmidt 105 front-end snow cutter – clearing width 2.60 metres. This combination proved extremely effective in clearing the exceptional volume of snow from the roads, according to Helmut Feuerstein, technical director of the Felsenau depot.


4-wheel steering for exceptional manoeuvrability in snow

The metre-high banks of snow on either side of the road demand precision work from the Unimog's driver. It is in situations like this that the transferable steering system VarioPilot and the 4-wheel steering system really come into their own. With 4‑wheel steering the Unimog becomes considerably more manoeuvrable than it already is, while its turning circle is reduced by up to 30 percent. It means that the snow cutter can clear bends far more quickly these days. Before the advent of 4-wheel steering, it was necessary to begin by cutting extra bays into a bend in order to achieve the necessary curve radius. It was a long-winded process that involved a lot of turning and forward and backward manoeuv res. Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks now offers this unique technology as a variant for Unimog, Econic and all municipal and fire-fighting vehicles.

The Unimog fleet at the Felsenau depot comprises two U 500 models with 4-wheel steering as well as a third U 500. Then there are a U 1000 and a U 130, plus a 29-year-old U 406, known affectionately by the Felsenau team as the "Buffalo". It is apparently indestructible and can be fitted with various attachments and implements to cope with even the trickiest operational situations that can arise on Alpine roads. Working in the heavy snow that fell earlier this year, the six Unimog vehicles were once again crucial to delivering the broad spectrum of activities demanded of the Felsenau fleet.

Best practice example for winter maintenance specialists from across Europe

The exemplary way in which the snow on the Arlberg was cleared – and the cost-effectiveness of this approach for the operator – also became a talking point among Alpine winter maintenance experts from across Europe. A stream of experts with an interest in this field have since made their way to the Vorarlberg to see the benefits of a Unimog with 4-wheel steering being demonstrated on the Arlberg Pass. Even the road maintenance service experts from Andorra, who have been Unimog customers for many years, were persuaded to come along and see for themselves the superior performance of the Unimog with 4-wheel steering. A demonstration of its capabilities on the Arlberg so convinced Andorra's representatives that they immediately placed an order for six Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 500 with 4-wheel steering.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Daimler Sends Two Unimogs to Help Flood Victims in Thailand

Mercedes-Benz Thailand is helping the Thai government combat the effects of the flood by providing two all-terrain Unimog all-wheel-drive vehicles. Now that the floodwaters are receding, crews have begun to clean up Bangkok — a task that might take weeks or even months to complete. This is a task for which Mercedes-Benz-Unimogs are ideally suited. They will help to transport debris from areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.


Mercedes-Benz Thailand will officially hand the vehicles over to the Thai Red Cross Society on December 23. The ceremony will be attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand. She is also known as the Princess of Technology, due to her interest in and knowledge of new technologies and how they can benefit her country.

Vehicles are able to ford depths of up to 1,200 mm

Mercedes-Benz Thailand selected two Unimogs for the cleanup task because the vehicle has special characteristics, in particular the ability to ford unusually deep waters of up to 1,200 mm. Says Gerald Buechler, the manager in charge of the project at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, “As a result of a concerted action by all of the relevant units at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, it took us only ten working days to complete all of the preparations for transporting the two UNIMOG U4000 trucks by air.” In cooperation with DHL and Thai Cargo, the two vehicles were loaded onto planes in Frankfurt on December 1.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Mercedes-Benz wins prestigious 'red dot design award' for Unimog study

The Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles division is delighted to have won an unusual award: the prestigious “red dot award design concept” in Singapore went to the Unimog design concept. The “Best of Best” award went to the study presented this summer on the off-road special-purpose vehicle. The jury recognised that good ideas need to be combined with a good design to make a model successful on the market. As a top professional design competition, this award enjoys a high international reputation. Companies, institutions, research centres and design studios all take part. The winners in the different categories are selected from a total of over 3,000 project submissions. On 25 November, Kai Sieber, Head of Design Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles, accepted the award in Singapore.


A glimpse of the design idiom of the future

The design study caused quite a stir at the celebrations this summer to mark the 60th anniversary of the Unimog. It gives a glimpse of the design idiom of the future for commercial vehicle design at Mercedes-Benz, which will have a close connection with the legendary Unimog’s design features. The study thus links the past and the future, emphasising the standard, familiar unique selling propositions of the Unimog, such as high ground clearance, coiled springs (these are retained all in red) and the frame design, while at the same time incorporating some design elements of the future. In this instance, the chunky bonnet reflects the typical Mercedes-Benz lines. The mudguards are just a few sparsely drawn lines, and the overall look of the concept creates its own individual dynamics. The colour selection is also no accident. The first Unimog was green, and this has remained a very popular colour with Unimog owners right up to the present day. However, the shade of green of the design study takes its inspiration from the arrow poison frog, a rare amphibian species which, like the Unimog, can be found both on land and in water. The wheels, which in line with the Unimog design are all of equal size, feature striking and movable five-star aluminium rims, and the headlights bundle the light rather like stage lighting, giving the Unimog an all-round striking appearance.

The design concept is not intended as the prototype for a future Unimog generation, although certain details could certainly be incorporated in future. The design study continues the development history of the Unimog, displaying a highly innovative character and an exceptional degree of flexibility, just like the series production Unimog in its many applications around the world.

60 years of Mercedes-Benz Unimog – the success of an idea

Over the last twelve months, the Unimog has celebrated two important anniversaries: 60 years ago, on 3 June 1951, the first Mercedes-Benz Unimog was built in Gaggenau, and in December 2010, the 10,000th unit of the U 300/U 400/U 500 series rolled off the production line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. A unique vehicle design was born, with a high level of cross-country capability, thanks to its all-wheel drive system, and a high speed capability on the roads. Since then, apart from winter and maintenance operations, and also municipal applications, the Unimog has proved its worth in many other areas, such as forest fire-fighting, road/rail uses, disaster management and rescue services.

Over 380,000 units of the Unimog (the name comes from the German for “Universally Applicable Motorized Implement”) have been built over the last 60 years; the model was manufactured at the Gaggenau plant until 2002, after which production was relocated to the truck plant in Wörth.

Source: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.