• Next milestone in the manufacturing cooperation agreed in 2025: Start of production of the Mercedes-Benz Conecto at Otokar's plant in Sakarya, Türkiye
• Additional production capacity supports customer demand in Europe
• Customer deliveries to begin in the first half of 2027

Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany / Sakarya, Türkiye – Daimler Buses, Mercedes-Benz Türk and bus manufacturer Otokar have celebrated the start of production (SoP) of the Mercedes-Benz Conecto at Otokar’s plant in Sakarya, Türkiye. The production launch marks the next milestone in the manufacturing cooperation agreed by the two companies in 2025. The additional production capacity will support Daimler Buses and Mercedes-Benz Türk in meeting continued customer demand in Europe. Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027.

Till Oberwörder, CEO Daimler Buses: “The start of production marks an important milestone in our cooperation with Otokar. Demand for our buses in Europe remains strong, and the Mercedes-Benz Conecto continues to play an important role in many European markets. By expanding production capacity, we are strengthening our ability to serve customers reliably while further supporting the profitable growth of our business. Otokar is a highly respected and reliable partner with extensive manufacturing expertise. Together, we will ensure the high quality standards our customers expect from Daimler Buses.”

Heiko Selzam, CEO Mercedes-Benz Türk: “Over the past months, the teams from Daimler Buses, Mercedes-Benz Türk and Otokar have worked closely together to prepare production, establish processes and ensure the required quality standards.  Launching series production on schedule while fully meeting the high quality standards of the Mercedes-Benz brand marks a significant achievement and reflects the exceptional dedication and expertise of all teams involved. This project demonstrates how Mercedes-Benz Türk contributes to the strength and flexibility of the Daimler Buses’s production network, enabling us to serve customers across Europe with the reliability and quantity they can expect.”

Aykut Özüner, CEO of Otokar: “Today, we are seeing the results of the strong collaboration between the teams of Otokar, Daimler Buses and Mercedes-Benz Türk. The successful start of production reflects the dedication, expertise and teamwork of everyone involved in the project. We are proud to manufacture the Mercedes-Benz Conecto at our Sakarya plant. With our expertise in bus production, we look forward to delivering vehicles that meet the customer expectations with high quality.”

The start of series production follows the successful completion of the pre-series phase at Otokar’s facility in Sakarya. Under the cooperation agreement signed by Daimler Buses, Mercedes-Benz Türk and Otokar in 2025, Otokar manufactures the Mercedes-Benz Conecto for Daimler Buses at its modern production plant in Sakarya. Daimler Buses supplies all major vehicle components as well as dedicated production equipment directly to Otokar. An experienced Daimler Buses team supports production on site.

The Mercedes-Benz Conecto

The Mercedes-Benz Conecto is a low-floor bus designed for high passenger capacity in urban transit. It is available as a three-door solo bus and a four-door articulated bus. The fully low-floor design enables level entry and exiting. The vehicle has been available in numerous European markets for many years. Since 2025, Daimler Buses has also been offering the vehicle in Germany, further expanding the model's role within the European product portfolio.

About Otokar

Otokar (BIST: OTKAR), established in 1963, offers solutions tailored to the needs of its customers using its own technology, design, and applications. Otokar, a Koç Group company, offers a diverse range of commercial vehicles, including buses, light trucks, and pickup trucks.

Headquartered in Türkiye and operating with subsidiaries in France, Italy, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan and a branch office in Germany, Otokar exports its commercial vehicles to more than 60 countries worldwide.

Otokar, which offers a wide range of products including alternative fuel vehicles to autonomous vehicles, has been Türkiye's most preferred bus brand in public and tourism transportation for 17 consecutive years.

About Mercedes-Benz Türk A.Ş.

Mercedes-Benz Türk has been operating in Türkiye for 58 years as an integral part of Daimler Buses production network. Mercedes-Benz Türk has produced more than 117,000 buses and 400,000 trucks since its establishment. Since its opening in 1995, Hoşdere Bus Plant—the largest bus production site of Daimler Buses globally—has made significant contributions to Daimler Buses’ global operations. Today, covering an area of 422,000 square meters, it continues to operate confidently as a key manufacturing hub in Türkiye. Mercedes-Benz Türk Hoşdere Bus Plant continues production with a wide range of models.

About Daimler Buses

As one of the world’s leading bus and coach manufacturers with numerous national subsidiaries, the Daimler Truck segment Daimler Buses is responsible for the global activities of the bus, coach and service brands Mercedes-Benz, Setra, OMNIplus and BusStore. The portfolio of Daimler Buses ranges from coaches, inter-city buses, city buses and special‑purpose buses to bus chassis. In addition to the production and sales of new buses, Daimler Buses operates a global service network and offers comprehensive services for vehicles and used buses and coaches.

The locations of Daimler Buses include Daimler Buses GmbH with numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Daimler Buses Latin America in Brazil, Daimler Buses Mexico, Daimler Coaches North America and the bus and coach business of Mercedes-Benz Türk A.Ş. in Türkiye.

Daimler Buses relies on a production network with its two German plants, Mannheim and Neu‑Ulm, playing central roles: The Mannheim plant serves as the competence center for battery‑electric city buses, while the Neu-Ulm plant is the competence center for coaches of all drive types and the sole production site for Setra coaches. Further plants within the production network are located in Ligny‑en‑Barrois, France; Samano, Spain; and Hoşdere, Türkiye.