10 October 2002: Eight years after the launch of the NECAR 1 concept study, DaimlerChrysler is now presenting the first fuel cell vehicles to be deployed in fleets and tested by customers in Europe, the USA, Japan, and Singapore.

This will involve 30 Citaro city buses that will be supplied for transportation in 10 major European cities from 2003, as well as 60 Mercedes-Benz A-Class "F-Cell" models. These cars will likewise be operated and tested by customers within a framework of cooperative ventures in Europe, the USA, Japan, and Singapore from 2003.

With this step, DaimlerChrysler leaves the concept vehicle stage and sets another milestone on the way to the marketability of this promising propulsion technology.

Since introducing the first NECAR (New Electric Car) in 1994, DaimlerChrysler has continued aggressive research in fuel cell technology and presented 20 concept vehicles demonstrating the technical feasibility of the propulsion principle.