|
BIZCHINA> Top Biz News
![]() |
|
Brilliance Auto in talks with Daimler for JV
By Li Fangfang (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-04 08:12 China's eighth-largest automaker Brilliance Auto is seeking to form a joint venture producing commercial vehicles with Mercedes-Benz, the Chinese company's chief said. The tie-up with Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz's parent, will focus on converting Mercedes' commercial vehicles into special purpose models, said Brilliance Chairman Qi Yumin at a media briefing in Shenyang last Friday. "The market for special purpose vehicles has potential. Although it won't have big market share, the profit margin is promising," said Qi. To further develop in special purpose vehicles segment, Brilliance has schemed to set up four manufacture bases in China, "with one in Tieling (Liaoning province), one in Shanghai, and rest two planned in South China and North China respectively," said Qi. After foraying into new segment, Brilliance, German luxury carmaker's Chinese partner, is expecting to boost its sales to more than 450,000 units in 2010 from 280,000 in 2008.
Brilliance Auto has cooperated with BMW for six years, now manufactures BMW 3 series and 5 series sedans in Shenyang, the company's headquarters in Northeast China. Daimler produces Mercedes-Benz premium sedans in the capital city under partnership with Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC). It also achieved agreement with BAIC's subsidiary Beiqi Foton Motor Co, China's largest commercial vehicle producer, earlier this year to set up a medium-to-heavy truck venture. In 2007, the German automaker also joint invested 249 million euros with Taiwan's China Motor to establish a 50-50 venture with the Chinese mainland's Fujian Motor, producing vans with annual production capacity of 40,000 units in Fuzhou. The production will start this September. "At current stage, we don't have plan to establish the second light commercial vehicles joint venture in China other than our Fujian facility," said Wang of Daimler. "As for the special purpose vehicles modification business, we have already two partners in China, Zhejiang Zhongyu Group and Shanghai Pingzhi Auto." Moreover, BAIC, which just lost bid for GM's ailing Opel, has transferred its focus to Fujian Motor's stake in Daimler cooperation inside the country. The China's fourth largest auto group plans to pay around 700 million yuan for a 40 percent stake in the van venture, leaving Fujian Motor 10 percent shares. "The major stake in Fujian Daimler venture's transfer to Daimler's original local cooperator BAIC makes it possible that Daimler can form a new plant with new Chinese partner, as Chinese government regulates that the foreign automaker can only have two Chinese partners to producer vehicles," said an anonymous auto analyst. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
|
|||||
竹北市| 寻乌县| 白城市| 永善县| 阿图什市| 吉安县| 那坡县| 绥滨县| 高邑县| 鹤峰县| 富宁县| 鄢陵县| 绵竹市| 宣化县| 肃南| 闵行区| 福建省| 沾益县| 南宫市| 海城市| 苏尼特右旗| 双流县| 易门县| 铜鼓县| 甘南县| 墨玉县| 浮梁县| 林州市| 布尔津县| 资阳市| 新昌县| 麻阳| 舒兰市| 志丹县| 宁都县| 台东市| 阳原县| 麻阳| 天等县| 兴义市| 余姚市|