Volkswagen Brazil announced that its truck and bus division, based in the city of Resende, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, has reached the figure of 300,000 vehicles produced since its inauguration, in November 1996.
The figure was reached, according to the company, after the sale of 37,720 trucks to Bertin Group, which owns a slaughterhouse by the same name but also operates in the area of cosmetics and biofuels. According to Volkswagen, this is one of the largest commercial vehicle sales contracts ever made in the country.
With the delivery, according to VW, Bertin will become one of the largest VW truck fleet owners worldwide. The company added that the vehicles are the first produced by the company to operate using up to 5% biodiesel mixed into common biodiesel while maintaining original factory characteristics.
The president at VW trucks and Buses, Roberto Cortes, added, according to a company press statement that Bertin Group has been testing a number of trucks that may operate with up to 20% biodiesel since 2006.
A spokesperson for VW informed that 47,000 vehicles were sold last year, including trucks and buses, being 11,000 exported. Apart from Brazil, the brand also sells to 31 countries, including Middle East countries.
The main importers are Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
The global VW Trucks and Buses headquarters are in Brazil, where the multinational has its development center for this kind of vehicle. The organization offers to the market 29 models of trucks, which range from five to 57 tons of gross weight, and eight kinds of chassis for urban buses and coaches. The factory in Resende employs around 4,000 people.
Anba
