GREENSBORO, N.C. In a move designed to give its motorcoaches a marketing edge, Daimler Buses North America announced that 2010 Setra S 417 coaches will use Mercedes-Benz OM 471 engines exclusively.

That means that Setras will be the first, and only, coaches available in North America with a Mercedes-Benz powerplant.

"The Mercedes-Benz engine clearly differentiates the Setra brand from the other offerings in the market and demonstrates our leadership in the luxury coach market," said Tom Chezem, vice president of sales for Daimler Buses North America.

"This also illustrates the cohesiveness of Daimler," said Chezem. "It is Daimler engineers designing and innovating products to work as efficiently as possible with Daimler vehicles."

The Mercedes-Benz engine going into 2010 Setra coaches is based on a world engine platform developed by Daimler and shared by Detroit Diesel, which is marketing its version, the DD13, to other North American coach builders. Detroit Diesel is owned by a subsidiary of Daimler.

The Mercedes-Benz OM 471 and the Detroit Diesel DD13 share the same emissions-reducing technology, selective catalytic reduction, and marketed under the name BlueTec.

The Setra S 417 with the Mercedes-Benz engine will be publicly unveiled at the 2010 UMA Motorcoach Expo in Las Vegas.

"The Mercedes-Benz powered technology, coupled with the proven BlueTec diesel air purification system that addresses the EPA 2010 environmental regulations, allows Setra a level of differentiation in the North American market," Daimler Buses said in its announcement.

Detroit Diesel dealers will service Setra coaches with the Mercedes-Benz OM 471 engine.

Detroit Diesel has 800 service center locations in North America and 8 national parts distribution centers.