Daimler to Stay the Course, Continues to Aim for the Top – Zetsche
Ryan Joseph Ramos April 10, 2013
In his speech at Daimlar AG’s annual shareholders’ meeting, Dr. Dieter Zetsche confirmed that Daimler, along with its respective divisions, will continue to push and aim for the top spot in the different sectors and segments in which the company competes.
The theme/motto of the 2013 shareholders’ meeting was “Growth and efficiency: Daimler is staying the course.” That sentiment was echoed in the strategic focus outlined by Zetsche in his speech.
“We are Daimler. We don’t only want to get better. We want to beat the competition – on a permanent basis,” went part of the speech, which was delivered to some 5,000 Daimler AG shareholders. Zetsche cited the continued growth of the company in 2012, including record unit sales as well as revenue in the past financial year.
The long-term strategy of the group was confirmed, and the targets Zetsche confirmed included 1.6 million Mercedes-Benz cars sold by 2015 and premium-market-leading sales by 2020. The company also wants to expand its operations in the truck division, to go from 500,000 units in 2015 to more than 700,000 units sold in 2020. Of course, growth is desired in the other divisions of the group.
In addition, Daimler is looking to get an average of 9 percent return on sales off its vehicle operations. Mercedes-Benz Cars has a 10-percent return target, while it is 9 percent for Mercedes-Benz Vans, 8 percent for Daimler Trucks, and 6 percent for Daimler Buses.
“In order to achieve those goals, we have started the biggest growth program in the company’s history,” said Zetsche. “Daimler is growing — at a faster pace, on a broader scale, and in more markets than ever before.”
