Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 146

152
Unit sales and earnings impacted by crisis in Europe.
Mercedes-Benz Vans’ global sales of Sprinter, Vario, Vito,
Viano, and Citan vehicles decreased to 252,400 units last year
(2011: 264,200). This development was due in particular to
the difficult market situation in Western Europe. Revenue was
also slightly lower than in the prior year at €9.1 billion (2011:
€9.2 billion). EBIT decreased from €835 million to €541 million,
primarily due to lower unit sales in Western Europe. Expenses
were incurred for the market launch of new products. Further-
more, there were expenses of €64 million in connection
with the impairment of the Chinese joint venture Fujian Benz
Automotive Corporation.

4.05
Initiatives for boosting efficiency and making the division
more international. At Mercedes-Benz Vans, we launched
the “Performance Vans 2013” short-term program to further
intensify previous initiatives aimed at continuously boosting
efficiency. The new program was conceived to counteract unfa-
vorable market developments in Western Europe and help
us deal with intensified competition in key markets. With this
program, we intend to realize efficiency improvements in the
magnitude of €100 million. At the same time, we are retaining
the key pillars for achieving further profitable growth. The
elements of those pillars include measures to increase the inter-
national scope of the division and to expand its product range.
We refer to this strategy as “Vans goes global.” E see page 153
The Sprinter remains successful in North and Latin
America. Due to Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis and a challenging
market environment, Mercedes-Benz Vans saw its unit sales
decline by 8% in Western Europe to 164,900 vehicles.

4.06
The Western European volume markets in particular were
unable to match their high levels of 2011. Because of market
developments, our unit sales were especially low in Germany
and France compared with the prior year. By contrast, sales
developed very well in Eastern Europe, where Mercedes-Benz
Vans once again saw unit sales grow rapidly (+6%) in 2012
following excellent results in the prior year. Due to the market
success of the Sprinter in the United States and Canada,
sales once again rose substantially in the NAFTA region to 26,400
units, representing an increase of 18% over the prior year.
The high level of customer acceptance is also reflected in our
increasing market share. In Latin America, we sold 14,000
vehicles (+2%). After the introduction of the current generation
of the European Sprinter in the spring of 2012, unit sales
rose in Latin America, particularly during the second half of the
year. However, sales in China declined to 8,800 units (-35%),
due to the contraction of those segments of the market in which
Mercedes-Benz Vans
In 2012, Mercedes-Benz Vans launched the new Citan city van, which ideally supplements our
existing product range. The sovereign-debt crisis in Western Europe led to market contractions
that affected our business. EBIT of €541 million was lower than the high level recorded in the
prior year. Our top-selling Sprinter van continued to be very successful in North and Latin America.
Because our standards are high, we have further intensified initiatives aimed at boosting the
efficiency of the division and increasing its international scope.
4.05
Mercedes-Benz Vans
2012 2011 12/11
Amounts in millions of euros % change
EBIT 541 835 -35
Revenue 9,070 9,179 -1
Return on sales (in %) 6.0 9.1 .
Investment in property,
plant, and equipment 223
109 +105
Research and development
expenditure
thereof capitalized
371
137
358
126
+4
+9
Production 257,496 268,851 -4
Unit sales 252,418 264,193 -4
Employees (December 31) 14,916 14,889 +0
4.06
Unit sales Mercedes-Benz Vans
2012 2011 12/11
% change
Total 252,418 264,193 -4
Western Europe 164,907 178,335 -8
thereof Germany 71,044 77,585 -8
Eastern Europe 24,026 22,646 +6
United States 21,474 18,027 +19
Latin America (excluding Mexico) 13,954 13,659 +2
China 8,836 13,514 -35
Other markets 19,221 18,012 +7