German automobile major Daimler is expanding in Latin America with a new bus plant in Funza in vicinity of Bogotá, Colombia, having an annual installed production capacity of 4,000.
Sprawled over 11,000m2, the unit is witnessing an ongoing investment of $2m to meet the demand for regular buses and mobility solutions, including the bus rapid transit system for public bus transport in large cities.
The new manufacturing unit is expected to complement the limited capacity of its plant set up in 2012 in Bogotá, creating 220 employment opportunities.
Daimler Buses head Hartmut Schick said: "In a currently challenging market such as Latin America, we are investing in the future viability of our locations and in modern vehicle technologies.
"With the new bus assembly, we want to further tap into market potentials in the Latin American bus vehicle business."
Daimler is betting big on the Latin American market for buses, branding it the second largest on that front in the world. The company, whose Mercedes-Benz buses have already grabbed a market share of more than 30%, also pictures that the demand-supply balance in the region would stabilize at 40,000 units.
Daimler Colombia president Mathias Held said: "With our modern bus portfolio featuring BlueTec 5 technology, we are meeting the growing demand of the Colombian market and our neigh-bouring Latin American countries for clean and efficient vehicles."
The new buses are said to conform to the environmental standards laid down by the local linked transport system 'Sistema Integrado de Transporte Público'.
The company also plans to export buses to neighboring nations such as Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Central America.
Image: Daimler's new bus plant in Funza will create 220 jobs. Photo: courtesy of Daimler.
