Mercedes-Benz Accelo: 20 years and counting

By Redação AutoIndústria | 8/4/23 | Translated by Jorge Meditsch

Launched in 2003 as Mercedes-Benz’s new light truck, the Accelo introduced unprecedented concepts for urban cargo collection and distribution in the country. The project brought headquarters advances to produce at the plant of São Bernardo do Campo, SP, an unprecedented work tool for the standards of the time.

The Accelo lineup was born considering drivers’ day-by-day activities and comfort. The project conceived a cabin with an interior and feature content like an automobile’s.

The ambient included various object holders, a generous space behind the sets, adjustable steering column, air-conditioned, electric mirrors and windows and an onboard computer. Some years later, the model pioneer offering automated transmission.

So much content and originality did not appear by chance, as with the new lineup, the Accelo 715 had to have many arguments to give continuity to the well-succeeded 710 from the famous “Mercedinho” (Littel Mercedes) lineage, a sales champion launched in 1996.

The Accelo accomplish the mission with honors. Over two decades, the market purchased 89.5 thousand trucks of the lineup until last June. Near 33.4 thousand were from the Accelo 815, launched in 2012 and the 710 honorable successor.

According to Renavam data up to July, the Accelo 1016 currently leads light truck sales with a 29.9% share and 1.4 thousand registers. The smaller brother 815 also performed well, closing the period as the segment’s bestseller with 16.7% of light truck sales.

With the new Proconve phase, equivalent to Euro 6, the line was updated with a more powerful engine and larger cargo capacity. The current portfolio includes the new 817 and 1017 light models and the medium 1317 6×2, all with 163 cv, 5% more power than the previous generation. The torque is 610 Nm (62.2 kgfm). The total gross weight is 8,300, 9,600 and 13,000 kg.

The cabin also got some novelties, such as auxiliary mirror, LED running daylights, automated gearbox lever at the steering column and a 10.4-inch screen panel. The models also carry electronic stability control, emergency braking lights and hill-start assist for the automated versions.