Mercedes not chasing volume at any value

Daimler (DAIGn.DE) Chief govt Dieter Zetsche insisted on Friday the German auto manufacturer wouldn't sacrifice margins in its quest to overtake arch rival BMW (BMWG.DE) and become the popular luxury automobile whole.

Zetsche has tasked Mercedes with changing into the leading premium auto manufacturer by 2020 when it sold  one.87 million rider cars in 2015, leapfrogging Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) Audi on one.80 million however still trailing BMW on one.91 million.

"The volume lead ought to be the consequence of getting the most effective providing," Zetsche aforesaid. "If we have a tendency to accomplish this, it's a natural consequence that a lot of folks can opt for United States."

"People aforesaid it'll produce evaluation and margin pressure. precisely the opposite is true," he told analysts at a conference to debate fourth-quarter leads to city.

Having a particular level of sales volume gave Mercedes the economies of scale to develop a motorcar, a convertible and long-wheelbase version of its top-of-the vary S-Class, Zetsche aforesaid.

The Mercedes corporate executive was a lot of upbeat concerning the brand's prospects in China, providing the market was expected to grow eight p.c this year.

"We do see considerably higher possibilities for United States supported our product offerings," Zetsche aforesaid, adding that demand remained high for a few new domestically created cars, like the GLC offroader.

"We have waiting times that square measure unhealthy already," he gold told analysts, adding that the new E-Class, another volume model, had however to hit showrooms.

GOOD YEAR FOR TRUCKS

Despite a brand new BMW seven series model to challenge the S-Class, there has been no dent in China sales, the corporate executive aforesaid.

"Competitors come back up with sensible cars, we have a tendency to don't see our singular position with the S-Class challenged thereupon."

Demand for Mercedes-Benz cars continued  in Gregorian calendar month, monthly sales figures showed, with international deliveries up twenty p.c, boosted by a fifty two p.c jump in sales in China.

Also chatting with analysts on Friday, {daimler|Daimler|Gottlieb applied scientist|engineer|applied scientist|technologist|industrialist} Trucks chief Wolfgang Bernhard aforesaid Daimler expected 2016 to be a decent year for demand in North America, despite recent signs of a retardation.

"The sky isn't falling. we have a tendency to still suppose the market are going to be on top of 2014, that was a decent market," Bernhard aforesaid.

A shift to a brand new generation of higher-margin engines ought to additionally facilitate 2016 truck results, he said, adding that he expected some growth in Europe and to achieve market share in Japan.

Even if demand began to fall off sharply, applied scientist had shown it may react quickly. Last year, applied scientist trucks shed one,000 workers in North America and a pair of,000 workers in Brazil, wherever there was a desire for any "adjustment", he said.