German heavy vehicle manufacturer Daimler said March 12 it planned to expand its bus division in emerging markets such as Russia and India to boost global sales. "Daimler Buses aims in the long term to reinforce its position of number one worldwide by investing in new growth markets like Russia, India and China," the company said.
In Russia, "we are considering local production with the heavy truck division," the statement quoted bus unit head Harald Landmann as saying. In China, "we are cooperating with partner licensees," he added. In India, Daimler established a partnership in September. But a spokeswoman said: "We are looking for new partners" as well.
Unit sales in the bus division last year rose by 8% to 39,000 vehicles. The division manufactures the Mercedes-Benz, Setra and Orion brands.
In Western Europe, where the overall market for buses remained stable, Daimler Buses increased unit sales by about 6% to 6,950 vehicles, boosting its market share slightly to 26%.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008
