Mercedes 2010 Annual Report Download - page 14

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This very pleasing overall picture is completed by the positive development at Daimler Financial
Services: New business and contract volume increased significantly. Above all, our business
with van and truck fleet operators and other commercial customers made very good progress.
There’s no doubt about it: We can look back on an excellent year. Our goals for this year are
equally ambitious – even more so as the automobile celebrates a special birthday in 2011. In this
anniversary year we want to make it clear that 125 years after the invention of Daimler and Benz,
we continue to take the lead in shaping the future of the automobile. And we can back up that
claim with hard facts:
At Mercedes-Benz Cars, we are continuing our model offensive – with the new SLK, the new
generation of the C-Class, the new C-Class coupe and the new M-Class. At the same time,
we are also taking on the compact segment. We begin in autumn with the new B-Class, to be
followed by several other models of our new compact car family.
The replacement of our model range is in full swing also at Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses:
This year, the new-generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus will be launched and the new Fuso
Canter truck will be available in Fuso’s worldwide export markets.
In general, we are well-positioned with our product portfolio to benefit disproportionately from the
global growth of the automotive industry. That applies to our traditional core markets as well as
to growth markets, where we continue to develop our local presence. In China, for example, demand
for the Mercedes-Benz brand is so strong that we are now building our first car engine plant
outside of Germany there. We also intend to produce additional model series locally – including
the GLK. In Russia, intensive preparations are underway for local production of the Sprinter.
In India, we will soon launch the new “BharatBenz” truck brand. In Brazil, where we have had a very
strong market position for many decades, we plan to expand our production capacity once again.