Freightliner Trucks begins rolling out the new Business Class M2 line of medium-duty and vocational trucks to the Mexico market this summer.

Production begins in June at the company's Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico, manufacturing plant. With the introduction of the new truck line, the plant will increase its production rates.
The Business Class M2 is a new line of Class 5-8 medium-duty and vocational trucks from Freightliner Trucks. Unveiled to the U.S. and Canada markets in early 2002, the Business Class M2 succeeds Freightliner's Business Class product line, first introduced in 1991.
"Freightliner Trucks is very pleased to continue the highly successful roll-out of the Business Class M2 product line with our much-anticipated introduction of the new truck to the Mexico market," said Mark Lampert, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Freightliner Trucks. "The original Business Class was very well received in Mexico and we expect our Mexican customers to embrace the successor Business Class M2 as well."
Lampert said Mexican customers will employ the Business Class M2 in a wide variety of commercial truck applications, including local and regional distribution, food and beverage delivery, fire and emergency services, government services, towing and recovery, agriculture and many others. The trucks will be sold and serviced through the Freightliner Trucks dealer network with locations throughout Mexico.
Freightliner LLC, parent company of Freightliner Trucks, is investing nearly $20 million to prepare the Santiago Tianguistenco Truck Manufacturing Plant for Business Class M2 production. The plant has produced original Business Class models since 1997. With the start of Business Class M2 production, the plant's overall output of all vehicles will return to pre-October 2002 production levels, with the expectation that production will rise to 72 vehicles per day in the second half of 2003. The plant's production continues to serve the Mexico market as well as Freightliner's customers in the western and southwestern United States.
Initially, the Santiago plant will produce the Business Class M2 106 model with regular cab. Later on, the plant will build Business Class M2 100 and 112 models as well as Crew Cabs and Extended Cabs.
The Santiago Tianguistenco Manufacturing plant also produces Freightliner Columbia and FLD heavy-duty trucks, Freightliner and Sterling Cargo Class 7 and 8 trucks, and bus chassis. Employment is 750 people.