Markets outside of traditional truck sales regions are becoming more important for Mercedes-Benz. The Chinese market, for example, is playing an ever greater role for sales of the brand’s trucks from Wörth. Back in 2007, China was ranked 17th on the list of the top sales markets for Mercedes-Benz trucks – but this year the country has moved up to fifth place. China has thus firmly established itself as one of the core markets for Mercedes-Benz trucks.
“The segment of imported Mercedes-Benz premium trucks is growing in importance in many countries. Our product range is ideal for serving this segment,” says Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Hubertus Troska. “This is mainly due to our reliable high-quality products, our perfect service, and the outstanding total cost of ownership that our trucks offer. The rapidly rising demand for Mercedes-Benz trucks in countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia also provides us with an additional stable pillar for counteracting the strong cyclical fluctuations on the European market.”
Mercedes-Benz Trucks will post record sales in China in 2012. Last year the brand sold approximately 5,800 premium trucks in China. This year it is expected to sell more than 6,000 units, even though the Chinese truck market as a whole is contracting. As a result, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has become the undisputed market leader among European truck importers in China, with a market share of more than 50 percent. The Chinese truck market is expected to recover and grow by more than 10 percent next year. “Our Mercedes-Benz trucks will definitely be part of that growth,” says Troska.
Developments in Russia have been similar, so the Russian market has also become more important for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in recent years. Russia was ranked 20th for the brand’s truck sales in 2007. Sales there have risen continually since that time, and Russia is now the sixth most important market for Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
But China and Russia are not the only countries where interest in Mercedes-Benz Actros, Axor, and Atego trucks is growing. These vehicles also enjoy an excellent reputation and great popularity on the Arabian Peninsula. Back in 2007 Saudi Arabia ranked only 13th on the list of the top sales markets for Mercedes-Benz Trucks; in 2012 it rose to eighth place.
Two trends can currently be observed on the world’s expanding truck markets, such as China, India, and Russia. The first is that local manufacturers are technically upgrading their volume segment models, partly because of increasingly stringent emission standards. The second trend is that the demand for premium products built by manufacturers from the traditional triad sales markets is increasing, because attributes such as reliability, efficiency, and durability are becoming more important for heavy-duty applications in growing economies.
These developments are playing a key role in growth markets especially – countries such as China (the world’s biggest truck market), India (the third biggest), and Russia (the largest truck market in Europe). Daimler Trucks offers both premium and modern domestic trucks (volume segment vehicles featuring state-of-the-art technology) in all of these markets. It also employs a strategic approach that is tailored to the respective countries. Daimler Trucks operates “as globally as possible and as locally as necessary,” and can also make good use of the opportunities offered by its global presence. As a result, customers are always offered the optimal product portfolio for their applications.
In India, the Group’s wholly owned subsidiary Daimler India Commercial Vehicles mainly manufactures BharatBenz trucks for the modern domestic segment. The Group also sells Mercedes-Benz trucks to premium segment customers in the construction industry, for example.
Daimler’s joint venture with Foton in China and the Group’s strategic partnership with Kamaz in Russia allow Daimler Trucks to serve the modern domestic segment in both markets, even as its business with premium Mercedes-Benz trucks continues to expand in both countries. Fuso trucks for the light-duty segment are also now being successfully marketed in the two countries.
