Mercedes 2013 Annual Report Download - page 102

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Our international research and development network.
During the year under review, we expanded our research
and development network in a targeted manner, expanding
it to 22 locations in ten countries. Our biggest facilities
are in Sindelfingen and Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in Germany.
In Sunnyvale, California, the new headquarters of our
research facilities in North America, approximately 100 people
are employed at present and this number is scheduled to
be doubled. In Asia, we have an important center in Bangalore,
India, and the Global Hybrid Center in Kawasaki, Japan,
as well as a research and development center in Beijing, which
began operations in 2012. We opened a new research center
in Bangalore in January 2013. With its approximately 1,300
employees, the new facility is Daimler’s largest research and
development center outside Germany. In March 2013, our
van joint venture in China, Fujian Benz Automotive Corporation,
opened Mercedes-Benz Vans’ first product development
center outside Germany, in Fuzhou. We also work together
with numerous renowned research institutions worldwide
and participate in international exchange programs for young
scientists.
Targeted involvement of the supplier industry. In order
to reach our ambitious goals, we are also cooperating very
closely with research and development units from the supplier
industry. Daimler must be closely interconnected with supplier
companies in order to deal with the rapid pace of technological
change in the automotive industry and the need to quickly
bring new technologies to market. As part of our joint research
and development work, we ensure that our company retains
the key technological expertise it needs in order to keep our
brands distinct and to safeguard the future of the automobile
in general.
Intellectual property rights secure our leadership in tech-
nology and innovation. 128 years after the automobile was
invented, our researchers and developers continue to regularly
apply for patents to protect their new ideas. At the end of
2013, the patent portfolio of Daimler AG and its subsidiaries
comprised more than 21,800 patents and patent applications
(2012: 21,800). The new S-Class alone involves more than 800
of these intellectual property rights. They not only secure our
scope to apply innovative technologies, they also ensure the
exclu sivity of innovations such as the high-comfort chassis
system MAGIC BODY CONTROL. In addition to owning the intel-
lectual property rights to our technology, we have more than
6,100 protected product designs. Our portfolio of intellectual
property rights is completed with around 32,500 legally
protected trademarks worldwide. They include the Mercedes-
Benz brand, which, according to the internationally well-
known brand consultant Interbrand, is the most valuable premium
automotive brand in the world. Our portfolio of intellectual
property rights is also becoming increasingly important with
regard to future alliances and partnerships. The intellectual
property rights supplement our researchers and development
engineers’ exper tise and make Daimler a sought-after
partner for technology and product partnerships.
€5.4 billion for research and development. We want to
continue shaping technological transformation in the automotive
sector through our pioneering innovations. As we had already
announced in the Annual Report 2012, we once again invested
a very large amount of money in research and development
work in 2013. Of the total investment of €5.4 billion (2012: €5.6
billion), €1.3 billion (2012: €1.5 billion) was capitalized as
development costs, which amounts to a capitalization rate
of 24% (2012: 26%). The amortization of capitalized research
and development expenditure totaled €1.1 billion during the year
under review (2012: 1.0 billion). With a rate of 4.6% (2012:
4.9%), the research and development expenditure also stayed
at a high level in comparison with revenue. The focus was
on new vehicle models, extremely fuel-efficient and environmen-
tally friendly drive systems and new safety technologies.
We made improvements in all of the main areas that further
increased our vehicles’ efficiency – ranging from energy
management and aerodynamics to lightweight engineering.
The most important projects at Mercedes-Benz Cars were
the successors of the C-, E- and S-Class, the new compact cars
and the new smart models. In addition, we are constantly
working to develop new engine generations, alternative drive
systems and innovative safety technologies. Mercedes-Benz
Cars spent a total of €3.8 billion on research and development
in 2013 (2012: €3.9 billion). Daimler Trucks invested €1.1 billion
in research and development projects (2012: €1.2 billion).
That division’s main projects were the continuous further devel-
opment of engines with a focus on optimizing fuel consumption
Research and development expenditure
In billions of euros
C.38
4
5
6
3
2
1
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
total
thereof capitalized
C.39
Research and development expenditure by division
2013 2012 13/12
In millions of euros % change
Daimler Group
thereof capitalized
5,385
1,284
5,644
1,465
-5
-12
Mercedes-Benz Cars
thereof capitalized
3,751
1,063
3,863
1,125
-3
-6
Daimler Trucks
thereof capitalized
1,140
79
1,197
180
-5
-56
Mercedes-Benz Vans
thereof capitalized
321
139
371
137
-13
+1
Daimler Buses
thereof capitalized
181
3
222
23
-18
-87