Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 62

A | TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS | OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY 69
Within the framework of its “Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global”
strategy, Mercedes-Benz Vans also plans to grow in new
markets. In order to meet the rising demand for our Sprinter in
North America and to improve our cost position over the long
term, a new production plant is being established in Charleston
in the US state of South Carolina. We also produce vans in
Argentina as well as in Russia with our partner GAZ. Alongside
the Sprinter, the Vito is meanwhile the second world van from
Mercedes-Benz Vans. Following the market launch in Europe
in 2014, the mid-size van was launched in October 2015 in Latin
America and under the name Metris also in North America.
For the Latin American market, the vehicle is also produced in
Argentina. The joint venture Fujian Benz Automotive Corporation
produces the models Vito, Viano and Sprinter for the Chinese
market. In 2016, the Viano will be there replaced with the new
V-Class, which should stimulate further growth. The entry
into the worldwide volume segment of mid-size pickups before
the end of the decade in cooperation with our strategic partner
Renault-Nissan is to be seen as a further step in the global
growth strategy.
Daimler Buses plans to grow in the emerging markets in the
coming years. Extensive potential for growth exists in Latin
America especially, and this potential can be utilized once the
markets in the region begin to recover. In India, Daimler Buses
has integrated its local business activities into the Daimler
India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) organization and also started
operations at a new plant in the country. Among other things,
Daimler Buses has set itself the goal of moving into the premium
bus segment in India.
The Daimler Financial Services division continues to expand
its business activities in line with the growth strategies of the
automotive divisions. The division offers leasing and financing
models tailored to specific regions. China especially offers
good opportunities for further substantial growth in the future.
Daimler Financial Services supports the worldwide sales of
Daimler vehicles in more than 40 countries, and will profit from
the growing unit sales in those markets.
Maintaining our technology leadership
As a pioneer of automotive engineering, we continue to expand
our leadership in the areas of drive system technology, safety,
autonomous driving and the connectivity of our vehicles. Regard-
less of whether our customers travel long distances, along
country roads, or mainly in cities – we offer the right drive system
solution for every user profile. Our portfolio ranges from opti-
mized internal combustion engines to hybrid drive and locally
emission-free solutions. In 2015, we were able to reduce
the average CO2 emissions of newly registered vehicles from
Mercedes-Benz Cars in the European Union from 129 grams
per kilometer to 123 g/km. This means we have achieved our
2016 target of 125 g/km ahead of schedule. Beginning in 2016,
our new E-Class will also help us achieve a further significant
reduction in fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions, thanks
to its lightweight design, improved aerodynamics and highly
efficient combustion engines. Consistent hybridization is an
important component of the drive-system strategy at
Mercedes-Benz Cars. We plan to launch a total of ten plug-in
hybrid models in the period of 2014 through 2017. Our new
plug-in hybrid vehicles combine the highest levels of dynamic
handling and comfort with the fuel consumption of a small car,
and can drive up to 33 kilometers in purely electric mode – and
thus locally emission free. Fuel consumption here ranges from
3.3 liters per 100 kilometers for the GLE 500 e 4MATIC1 to an
outstanding 2.1 l/100 km in the most efficient model, the
C 350 e2. Our activities in the area of alternative drive systems
will focus on plug-in hybrids in the years ahead. However,
we are also a leader for purely electric mobility. For example,
we expanded our range of series-produced electric vehicles
in 2014 to include the new electric B-Class for the United States
and Europe. The DENZA brand gives us an electric vehicle
exclusively for the Chinese market. And we will launch the new
smart electric drive in 2016. In the medium term, another
battery-electric vehicle with a range of up to 500 kilometers
will be available. We are also pushing forward with fuel-cell
technology. In 2017, we will present the next vehicle generation
on the basis of our GLC.
In order to improve the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles
as well, we are optimizing vehicles and powertrains at our
Daimler Trucks division. The Predictive Powertrain Control cruise
control system makes it possible for example to reduce diesel
fuel consumption by as much as 5%. The new generation of the
OM471 heavy-duty engine consumes up to 3% less fuel than
its predecessor. We conducted a field test with a comprehensively
optimized truck that was not only equipped with the new
engine but also featured an enhanced trailer as well as modified
tires and other key components. The CO2 emissions produced
by this vehicle were 12 to 14% lower than those generated by
its non-optimized counterpart.
In Europe, we want to reduce the fuel consumption of our truck
fleet by an average of 20% over the period of 2005 to 2020.
We are confident that we will achieve this ambitious goal and
took a further step in that direction with the introduction of the
new generation of the OM471 heavy-duty truck engine in 2015.
The Freightliner Cascadia Evolution is currently the most
fuel-efficient heavy-duty truck on the North American market.
We are the world leader for hybrid technologies in commercial
vehicles. The Canter Eco Hybrid for example boasts fuel savings
of as much as 23%, and owners are able to recoup the addi-
tional cost for the hybrid model in just a few years. A series of
customer tests with the emission-free FUSO Canter E-CELL
resulted in operating costs that were 64% lower than those for
a conventional diesel truck. We thus already have an effective
and reliable concept in place today that will enable us to meet
the requirements for urban delivery vehicles and address
the challenges that will be brought by more restrictive emission
standards in metropolitan areas in the future.
1 GLE 500 e 4MATIC: fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 3.3;
CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 78;
electricity consumption in kWh/100 km: 16.0
2 C 350 e: fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 2.4-2.1;
CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 54-48;
electricity consumption in kWh/100 km: 11.3-11.0