Mercedes-Benz O 2600

The Mercedes-Benz O 2600 was a bus launched by Daimler-Benz in 1935; the LO 2600 was presented at the International Automobile Exhibition in Berlin from 14 to 24 February 1935. To cut costs, the semi-low LO chassis was developed as the basis for trucks, special bodies and buses alike. Because chassis were often built by outside firms, production statistics cannot easily be split between trucks and buses, and the swap bodies of the time meant that the same vehicles could serve as trucks or, as needed, as buses. In buses the diesel engine won out faster than in trucks, as the overall statistics show. A milestone in bus development from 1930 was the steel body, which raised passenger safety and cut manufacturing costs, although when bus numbers rose sharply a mixed wood and steel construction was used again for a time. Production ended in 1940.