CEO Zetsche wants to increase global output to 2.7 million by 2020
January 20, 2012 - 12:01 am ET
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche plans to build a new plant in China and another in either the United States or Mexico to meet an aggressive new global sales target, Germany's Manager Magazin said on Thursday.
The German automaker plans to more than double output of Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles to 2.7 million by 2020 in its drive to become the world's largest premium carmaker, the magazine reported.
Daimler has pledged to overtake rivals BMW and Audi as the top manufacturer of luxury cars by 2020.
It sold 1.26 million Mercedes cars in 2011, about 120,000 short of the BMW brand.
Manager Magazin also cited sources at Daimler saying the company would match the volume target with an operating margin of more than 10 percent in 2020.
By 2017 or 2018, a new North American plant would begin manufacturing the next generation A class together with Daimler's strategic partner Nissan, the magazine said, citing Daimler executives as sources.
Earlier this month, the automakers said Nissan's Decherd, Tennessee, plant would build four-cylinder gasoline engines starting in 2014 to be used in Infiniti cars and in Mercedes C-class sedans that will be built at Daimler's Tuscaloosa, Alabama, factory.
A Mercedes spokesman declined to comment, but reaffirmed its 1.6 million vehicle sales target for 2015.
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