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Board of Management Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche affirms earnings forecast for 2010
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Global sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand up by 27 percent in the first quarter
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Additional growth and more efficiency through cooperation with strong partners
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Playing an active role in the technological change of the automotive industry
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CO2 emissions further reduced in 2009
Berlin – In the past twelve months, Daimler AG (stock-exchange symbol DAI) has taken some important strategic actions in an extremely difficult environment and has thus created the right conditions for a successful future. “We did not limit ourselves to simply trying to somehow keep our head above water in the crisis,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, according to the advance text of his speech to approximately 5,000 shareholders this Wednesday at the ICC in Berlin. “We continued to do our strategic homework. Daimler is extremely well positioned in the race to shape the future of the automobile,” he stated.
The decisions that have been made since the last Annual Meeting add up to a coherent picture of Daimler’s strategy: “We are sharpening our brand profiles, spearheading technological transformation, growing in key markets, satisfying changed customer requirements and boosting our efficiency,” explained Zetsche.
The fact that Daimler can look to the future with confidence is shown by the figures for unit sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars in the first quarter of 2010. Worldwide, Group sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand rose by nearly 27 percent. Thanks to the increasing success of the new E-Class and S-Class, the model mix has also improved with a higher percentage of larger cars. In the biggest export market, the USA, Mercedes-Benz sells more cars than any other German premium brand. In China, which is currently regarded as the most important market of the future, unit sales actually increased by 136 percent. Zetsche: “In view of these numbers, our global sales target for the year is ambitious, but it’s also realistic: We plan to grow at around double the rate of the global passenger car market in full-year 2010.”
The Chairman of the Board of Management once again affirmed the outlook given at the annual press conference in February for the development of business in 2010. The Daimler Group assumes that unit sales and revenue will increase this year, but that they will still be significantly lower than the good levels of 2008. In total, Daimler anticipates Group EBIT from ongoing business operations of more than €2.3 billion, with all divisions making a positive EBIT contribution.