Daimler and Foton mark Chinese milestone

Daimler and Foton recently produced their 150,000th Auman-branded truck, underlining the former's concerted push into China

Daimler has announced that its 50-50 joint venture with Foton, Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co (BFDA), recently saw its 150,000th Auman truck roll off the production line in the Chinese capital, providing a good indication of Daimler’s momentum in the world’s largest truck market.

The joint venture first saw an Auman truck produced in 2012, while in 2013 some 103,300 examples were built. That figure represents impressive year-on-year growth of 34 per cent – the highest growth of any of China’s top five medium- and heavy-truck manufacturers.

According to Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Daimler Trucks & Buses, the milestone highlights the importance of China in the manufacturer’s global strategy.

“As the leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, being right at home in the world’s largest truck market is extremely important for us,” he said.

“The production anniversary underlines that Daimler Trucks is successfully underway in China. Together with our local partner Foton, we are going to focus on offering the Chinese customers the best trucks possible for their purposes.”

Daimler says a Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty engine plant will be established at BFDA later this year, so the Mercedes-Benz OM457 engine can be installed in Auman products.

BFDA’s dealer network in China numbered around 450 outlets at the end of 2013.

Daimler and Foton mark Chinese milestone

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