Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 53

Mercedes-Benz Cars and BAIC are jointly
building cars for the Chinese market.
Beijing Benz Automotive Co. (BBAC), a
joint venture of Daimler and the Beijing
Automotive Group (BAIC), is producing
the E-Class, the C-Class and the GLK in
Beijing. Starting in 2014, it will produce
one of the new compact cars models for
the Chinese market. In a shared new en-
gine plant, it will also build four-cylinder
gasoline engines starting in 2013. The
construction of a research and develop-
ment center in China is now in full swing.
Daimler Trucks and Foton are successful
in the Chinese truck market. Through the
50:50 joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler
Automotive (BFDA), Daimler Trucks is par -
ticipating in the market for medium-duty
and heavy-duty trucks in China. Further-
more, BFDA plans to set up an engine
plant. In addition to contributing produc-
tion facilities and the sales and service
network, the truck producer Foton is con-
tributing its knowledge of the Chinese
and Asian markets to the joint venture.
In Russia, Daimler Trucks and Kamaz
are opening up one of the biggest truck
markets of the future. Daimler’s partner
Kamaz is the Russian market leader in
the heavy-duty truck segment and has
outstanding know-how and a well-estab-
lished sales network. Daimler and Kamaz
have established two 50:50 joint ventures
for the production and sale of trucks
in Russia: Fuso Kamaz Trucks Rus and
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Vostok. The plant
in Naberezhnye Chelny produces the
Fuso Canter and the Mercedes-Benz
Actros, Axor, and Atego trucks. It also
makes the Mercedes-Benz Unimog
from assembly kits. In addition, Daimler
Trucks supplies engines and axles for
Kamaz trucks and buses. This sharing
of technology and sales experience is
opening up new perspectives for Daimler
in the Russian market. A further step will
involve a component truck from Kamaz
that uses cabs, engines and axles from
the Mercedes-Benz modular system.
Together, Mercedes-Benz Cars and
Renault-Nissan are exploiting the
potential of the European market. The
first success of this partnership is the
Mercedes-Benz Citan city van. It will
be followed by further joint projects,
such as the successor models of the
smart and the development of fuel-
efficient engines for the new compact
models. One example of the latter is a
four-cylinder diesel engine for the new
A-Class from Mercedes-Benz. Because
this strategic alliance offers even greater
potential savings than was initially as-
sumed, Daimler will expand this success-
ful cooperation in the coming years.
The first milestones of our successful partnerships are already
on the road. Daimler will continue to be open to cooperation
opportunities involving pioneering vehicles and technologies.
“Daimler plans to sell approxi-
mately 300,000 cars in China
in 2015. We want to produce two
thirds of them in China jointly
with our partner BAIC.”
Frank Deiss, President & CEO
Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBAC), Beijing
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