Daimler boss predicts auto boom
Dieter Zetsche, head of auto-giant Daimler, has predicted rosy times ahead for the global car industry. He said the number of cars in the world will double by 2030.
"It's going up quicker and quicker," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung. "We're a growth industry again."
According to Zetsche, Daimler is currently having more problems with supply than with demand. "How do we get the parts on time and in enough quantities?" Zetsche asked. "We're reaching our capacity everywhere."
Mercedes customers are currently facing waiting times of several months for new cars to be delivered, he added.
But the Daimler boss is confident of reaching the company's profit target of €7 billion for 2010. "We have no doubt of that. December is looking very good as well," he said. "We're very satisfied." He also said company workers can look forward to an "attractive" bonus because of the year's business.
Zetsche is also planning to finalize a deal with the second biggest Russian car manufacturer Gaz to produce the Mercedes-Benz 'Sprinter' minivan for the Russian market. The contract is expected to be signed on December 23.
In exchange for giving Gaz new technology, Daimler is hoping to improve its prospects in what is considered a huge growth market for the car industry.
The deal will also mean that Mercedes-Benz can sidestep Russia's heavy import tolls, which meant the company sold fewer than 2,000 Sprinters in Russia in 2010.
DAPD/bk
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"It's going up quicker and quicker," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung. "We're a growth industry again."
According to Zetsche, Daimler is currently having more problems with supply than with demand. "How do we get the parts on time and in enough quantities?" Zetsche asked. "We're reaching our capacity everywhere."
Mercedes customers are currently facing waiting times of several months for new cars to be delivered, he added.
But the Daimler boss is confident of reaching the company's profit target of €7 billion for 2010. "We have no doubt of that. December is looking very good as well," he said. "We're very satisfied." He also said company workers can look forward to an "attractive" bonus because of the year's business.
Zetsche is also planning to finalize a deal with the second biggest Russian car manufacturer Gaz to produce the Mercedes-Benz 'Sprinter' minivan for the Russian market. The contract is expected to be signed on December 23.
In exchange for giving Gaz new technology, Daimler is hoping to improve its prospects in what is considered a huge growth market for the car industry.
The deal will also mean that Mercedes-Benz can sidestep Russia's heavy import tolls, which meant the company sold fewer than 2,000 Sprinters in Russia in 2010.
DAPD/bk
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