The Mercedes-Benz Conecto is a line of city and intercity buses built since 1996 in Hoşdere in Turkey. It is intended mainly for the Eastern European market and was known until 2002 as the O345.
Mercedes-Benz Conecto at a glance
| Built in | Hoşdere, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Since | 1996 |
| First name | Mercedes-Benz O345, until 2002 |
| Main market | Eastern Europe |
| First layout | high-floor or mid-floor type 671, until 2007 |
| Later layout | low-floor with a vertical engine on the 628 series |
| First generation | O345, Conecto C, G, Ü, MÜ and H |
| Renaming | October 2001 at Busworld Kortrijk, from model year 2002 |
| Second generation | Conecto LF from 2007 |
| Solo capacity | 26 seated and 68 standing |
| Articulated capacity | 41 seated and 107 standing |
| Third generation | 2016 |
This article is based on the German Wikipedia article on the Conecto. Free photographs of the Conecto were not available, so the record keeps its earlier picture.
History of the Mercedes-Benz Conecto
The O345 was built from 1996 as a mid-floor city bus in standard and articulated form (O345 G) for Eastern Europe. From 1998 the 12 m bus was also sold in France with intercity seats and a 1-0-1 door layout as a cheap school bus, the O345 Ecolier, often called O345 Ü. A facelift in 2000 brought a new front and black window bands. At Busworld Kortrijk in October 2001 Mercedes-Benz announced the new name Conecto, applied from model year 2002: the mid-floor city buses became Conecto C (12 m) and Conecto G (18 m), and the school bus became the Conecto Ü. From 2004 a 13 m Conecto MÜ was also offered.
In November 2001 the Conecto H was presented as a high-floor intercity version for Western Europe, with a slightly higher floor than the Ü and a better specification. It replaced the O407 and was the only Conecto officially sold in Germany. In early 2007 the Conecto Ü, MÜ and H intercity models were replaced by the second-generation Intouro, while the new low-floor Conecto took over from the city buses.
The low-floor Conecto LF arrived in 2007 with air conditioning and a vertical rear engine, technically a simplified Citaro. Its solo version carries 26 seated and 68 standing passengers and the articulated version 41 seated and 107 standing. A third generation was presented in 2016 at Transexpo in Kielce and in Warsaw, with a new front and rear, black A-pillars, ESP, articulation control on the articulated bus, an independent front suspension and a body about 400 mm longer than before; it was the first Conecto available with a CNG option, and its diesel engine met Euro VI. From mid-2027 the third generation is to be offered in Germany as well.
Design and features
- Turkish production: built at Hoşdere for Eastern Europe since 1996.
- Three generations: the O345-based mid-floor cars, the low-floor Conecto LF and the 2016 model.
- Many bodies: solo, articulated, intercity, school bus and the high-floor Conecto H.
- Simplified Citaro: the second generation shared its layout with the Citaro at a lower price.
Mercedes-Benz Conecto versions
- O345 (1996–2002): mid-floor city and school bus.
- Conecto C and G (2002): 12 m and 18 m city buses.
- Conecto Ü and MÜ: intercity and school versions, 12 m and 13 m.
- Conecto H: high-floor intercity model, the only one sold in Germany.
- Conecto LF (2007): low-floor second generation.
- Conecto (2016): third generation, with CNG option and Euro VI diesel.
The Conecto is a simpler relative of the Citaro; its intercity successors are the Intouro. More buses are in the Mercedes-Benz collection.
Video: Transexpo 2013: Mercedes-Benz Conecto G
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Mercedes-Benz Conecto, German Wikipedia: generations, names, capacities, production site
