Allison Transmission Mercedes-Benz A tale of winning partnership

Several parts constitute a vehicle. But most of them are outsourced by the automobile manufacturer to those which produce such parts because of their design skills and technical expertise in the field. To make sure its commercial vehicles stand out in the crowd, the Stuttgart-based automaker, Mercedes-Benz has entered into agreement with Allison transmissions, a thoroughbred designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle mobility applications and the largest maker of medium and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions for business and military. 

Allison Transmission has built a great reputation for itself by supplying quality transmissions to even the Governments of various countries. To quote an example, during the outbreak of the Lebanon garbage crisis in 2015, trucks where the power was channelized using Allison-fitted automatic transmissions, were preferred as their automatic trannies were more reliable and resilient vis-à-vis the automated manual transmissions other trucks are known to be using. Even companies such as RAMCO and City Blu made themselves accustomed to Mercedes-Benz Atego trucks which used a highly dependable Allison 3000™ Series ratchet which put down the power seamlessly and was recommended by Mercedes-Benz too.

This transmission fares well in mid-sized commercial vehicles and can be used in the same hardware configuration in a range of mobility solutions. It is available with close or wide-ratio gearing and to boost efficiency figures, also provides a 7th gear. For a better start off the line, it comes plonked in with a technology called Engine-driven Power Take-Off  (PTO) as optional along with a customised output retarder to provide a fillip to more progressive braking and reduces its wear and tear. Some electronic controls which can forecast the level of output and braking required depending upon the scenario are present which might help the driver drive suavely and better.

While the strategic partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Allison has culminated to new heights in the Middle East region, their roots are expanding far and wide and reached Indonesia last year where over 250 buses were sold. 

In consolidation with this, Goiania, the capital of the State of Goiás in Brazil acquired 49 Mercedes-Benz Atego 1729 trucks where the powerhouse of the cell was this very Allison 3000 Series transmission. 

Crikey! These transmissions are compatible with CNG commercial vehicles as well and don’t compound the output produced by these relatively frugal and hushed machines. This is also the reason why Municipalia International Exhibition of Municipal Equipment and Services used Allison’s automatic transmissions for their CNG trucks. An epitome in this regard would be the Mercedes-Benz Actros NGT which used the 3000 Series transmission that helped maintain the ambient air quality standards and offered better NVH levels compared to diesel trucks.

“For very good reason, Mercedes-Benz is offering the Allison gearbox for selected Atego, Zetros and Econic vehicles for many years now. With an Allison gearbox, pretty much everyone able to drive an automatic car will also master a medium or heavy-duty truck,”said Steffen Flad, Head of Sales, Military Vehicles. 

“Driving with an Allison transmission in off-road terrain is a pleasure for drivers, as with Allison’s gear shifting there is no disruption in the driveline so wheels are unable to ‘dig in’ to the sand in desert operation. Gear shifting is super-fast, which allows for uninterrupted driving, especially in difficult terrain like sand and desert, thus there’s a low chance of losing momentum as compared to a manual or automated transmission,” said Naveen Sook, Fleetboard Manager and Driver Trainer. “The handover and driver training are fairly simple, as there are not so many features that a driver needs to understand and learn.”

The company stands erect on the shoulders of reliability, quality, durability to keep moving forward and maintain the respectable reputation and prestige it has built along with such a profound heritage over the years.