The profit of the auto group has shrunk in the past year, under the dash by nearly a third. In the future everything will be better, announces the outgoing chief Executive, Dieter Zetsche – but how?
Dieter Zetsche is a lame duck (lame duck)? At least, that believes the auto analyst Frank Schwope of NordLB. “It may be that he is no longer addressed some of the issues with the necessary seriousness,” said Schwope in an interview with DW, “but I think that will change significantly, when the group will hand over the leadership to the former Daimler-development-in-chief Ola Källenius”.
In any case, the difference has to present by the end of Daimler-Chef with his last annual balance sheet a tart profit slump. Zetsche has already announced counter-measures in the major Car division – to name but without Details.
Farewell after 13 years at the top management of the group
“We are in the preparation of this programme,” said the Manager on Wednesday at the annual press conference. As long as the scope and the individual components were not fixed, he could not say anything further. The implementation is the responsibility of the new management Board team, Zetsche after 13 years in top management soon will no longer belong to. The choice of his successor will take place at the annual General meeting in may.
Problems with the car: Daimler production in Sindelfingen
The group’s earnings had collapsed in 2018 due to a weak car business by almost a third. The profitability of the major Car division had suffered in the past year under the trade dispute between the United States and China and the delivery stops for each of the diesel models.
Lower Return On Sales
The return on sales in the business area, which indicates the percentage of operating profit on sales was 2018, only 7.8 percent (in 2017: 9.4 percent). “We cannot and will not be satisfied”, said Zetsche. In General, the group is aiming for here, a value of eight to ten percent. The looks, Daimler now but again only in 2021 to the extent Possible. 2019, the Passenger yield is expected to be between six and eight percent.
2018 is the result of the group broke the bottom line to 29 per cent, to 7.25 billion euros. The sales Daimler was mainly thanks to the last division of the car to increase by two percent to 167,36 billion euros.
How will the group be in ten years?
“It’s now a question of whether Daimler has in ten years,” warns the Fund’s chief Bert Flossbach. He and other major investors expect clear savings goals from the group. “Daimler needs to make more effort to be more efficient,” says the car expert, the Fund management company Union Investment, Michael Muders. “You have to talk about the production depth of the group that is actually too big.”
His colleague Stefan Bauknecht of the Fund company DWS, which also urges “cost control as a priority”. However, the saving is likely to also forced the shareholders meeting, including the investors themselves: “We assume that the dividend will be reduced,” says Bauknecht.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Daimler’s electric future is EQC
The first good piece of the future product family of pure electric cars, Daimler is now presented in Stockholm. The first serve of the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer of the EQC, an electric SUV variant. Him in the coming years, with more to follow: from compact cars to luxury car. For this, billions have been invested.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.An E-Bus from Daimler
As the first pure electric car, the Stuttgart-based automaker brought with it the end of 2014 a B-class model on the market. It is now being produced. The first completely battery powered urban bus from Mercedes-Benz, the eCitaro (image), the end of the year at the factory in Mannheim in series.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Small, but electrically
Consistently, Daimler is pushing its Smart division in the direction of electro-mobility. From 2020 onwards, only E is to be sold in Germany and Western Europe cars of the brand. The other markets to quickly follow. In the United States, Canada, and Norway will be offered for 2017, only e-Smarts. Background: Because of the Smart weighs so little, burdened he as a gas the CO2 balance sheet of the group.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Daimler close on the heels of
Five days after the Daimler-presentation, arch-rival BMW for its iNext. Because we are not a newspaper, we have now only this small pencil sketch. The iNext to have a range of 700 kilometers and Autonomous driving. But only starting in 2021.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.BMW started as a small
The Bavarians had at least the courage, early on, an E-car to create a model number. Since the autumn of 2013 is produced of the i3 (pictured), a year later, the i8 at the Start. But it is more than that. In 2020, a battery electric car, a SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle), to come to the market. Also versions of the i8 coupe and Roadster are planned.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Volkswagen is already electrically
The major competitor Volkswagen has the E-Golf and E-Up pure electric vehicles in the tender – the small E-Up car since the end of 2013, the E-Golf since the beginning of 2014. Under the pure electric Car the E-Golf is the best-selling electric car in Germany. And the future?
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.The electric VW family
Volkswagen is currently expanding its plant in Zwickau (Saxony), there is a stand-alone electric platform is to be produced starting next year, the so-called I. D. family. In addition to a Golf-like vehicle with the Bully is to be resurrected, to then hot but I. D. Buzz.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Also Audi, Daimler and BMW’s electric-competition
Just days after Daimler and BMW, Audi shows at the 17. September its electrical premium cars: an SUV. The e-tron (concept study) is Audi’s first all-electric vehicle. By 2020, an electric SUV, Coupé, a sports car and a compact car. From 2025, Audi plans to sell annually at least 800,000 electric cars and Plug-in Hybrids.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.The epitome of the German sports car – soon electrically
Also, Porsche is currently billions in electric mobility. The first pure electric Porsche is expected to 2020. Name: Taycan. The name comes from the Turkish. Tay is called a foal, Can stand for life or soul. Porsche translated in the “vibrant, young horse” – to match the Logo of the car manufacturer.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Opel wants to end between solution soon
Opel Fans will be able to drive since 2012, electric: with the Ampera. But he is only an interim solution, because it is based on a General Motors model. Opel will have to import the car, for the EU conversion and high license fees to GM. Therefore, the new Opel owner, PSA will focus in the future on a self-developed Stromer. For 2020, a Corsa with electric drive is planned until 2022, the four e-model series.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Start-Ups are active on the market for electric cars
Not only the long-established car maker with a mix of electric mobility. Only in 2015, was founded in Aachen, the e. GO Mobile AG. In March 2017, the young company presented its first serial model, e. GO Life. It was supposed to be delivered from the end of 2018 – from just 15,000 euros. The Start-up company is a spin-off of the RWTH Aachen University.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Deutsche Post is building E-Transporter itself
Because of the established manufacturers have not been able to supply electric vans in large numbers, seized the German Post-the Initiative. In 2014, she took over the manufacturer StreetScooter, and developed the eponymous electric van for their own needs. Over 6000 of curves for the Post by the Republic.
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Great German plans not met
Well-17.200 electric vehicles were registered in the first half of 2018 in Germany, just to 16,700 Hybrid cars. This makes an increase of 51 percent compared to the previous year and a market share of 1.8 percent. Compared to China, or Norway, this is little. And the original goal to reach by 2020 a Million electric vehicles on Germany’s roads: in the distance!
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Great electric car plans from Daimler, VW and co.Market breakthrough in Germany, will come
While in China, E-cars are already widely used a lot more, experts have calculated that for Germany until 2020 with a significant increase in the market dynamics. A reason for the more stringent CO2 limit values of the EU, the need to adhere to the car maker then.
Spot removal is not planned
A reduction was at least planned, said a Daimler spokesman on the verge of the balance sheet template. For the core workforce in Germany are excluded from the conditional dismissal anyway. Could suffer, however, the temporary workers that are employed by corporations in General, to be able to be more flexible to produce.
In 2017, Daimler had announced that, owing to the high development investments in the passenger Car division in 2021, four billion euros to save costs. Background among other things, the high level of investment in new electric models. In this year the first car of the new brand EQC comes on the market. As things Stand, the demand is so high, that Daimler could not use this in 2019 and 2020, said Dieter Zetsche.
In addition to the ongoing debate about Diesel and clean air, the 65-year-old is also expected to continue with the charges from the trade dispute between the United States and China. “We prepare for different scenarios,” he said. Also a hard Brexit would not be without consequences. The UK is Daimler’s fourth-largest car market.
Competition from Google and Co
And then, Yes, the big Tech companies from the USA pressure. “In fields such as networking and Software, we do not have enough Know-how,” says Daimler works Council chief Michael Brecht.
Shared mobility gains more and more momentum, providers such as Uber or Lyft with their platforms already today, what they could afford. “The Google subsidiary Waymo can spend 40 billion euros for the development of new systems. In comparison, our financial resources are rather small,” says Brecht.
Problem calls: Daimler-Chef Zetsche in December in Washington
Cooperation to reduce costs
The Daimler works Council is in favour of experts already required in development cooperation for cost-sharing of the German car manufacturers and large suppliers like Bosch and Continental, combining forces for a common Digital strategy.
“A good idea, provided it is approved at all by the EU competition authorities,” says auto analyst Frank Schwope. All this was in the US and soon probably the Chinese Tech groups oppose something.
State measures in this context, as in the case of Economics Minister, Peter Altmaier, brought into play, Daimler-boss Zetsche skeptical. The state should take care of especially good conditions in terms of infrastructure and education. “Industrial policy should not, in my view, in the foreground.”
The Chinese are grasping for Daimler?
Fantasies to greater investment in Daimler China may be said to have car-Analyst Schwope, however, already certain stimuli. Li Shufu, the owner of the Chinese car manufacturer Geely, Yes artern already with a share of almost ten per cent major shareholder in the stuttg.
“If transfer limitation from the German side, would be, could it be that Daimler would be back in the foreseeable future even more closely with Geely to each other,” said Schwope. For the Daimler Board of management that would certainly be unpleasant, but for the group, and perhaps also for the employees a further merging could be quite interesting. “If you are half-Chinese, it certainly has a better access to the Chinese car market, the most important market in the world.”