Record Sales for DaimlerChrysler Commercial Vehicles in 2005

-Strong growth in business units
-Andreas Renschler, Board of Management member for Commercial Vehicles: Division takes on the challenges in the years ahead
-Production record for Sprinter van: 167,000 units

Stuttgart, Germany, January 23, 2006

DaimlerChrysler posted a record year for commercial vehicles sales in 2005, with 824,900 trucks, buses and vans sold (2004: 712,200 units). The new record represents an increase of nearly 16 % over the sales total for 2004. In all business units, the state-of-the-art range of products and outstanding safety systems were very popular with customers.

Commercial vehicles sales were up in all markets. Sales in Western Europe totaled 277,000 units (2004: 274,400); 217,800 units were sold in the NAFTA region (2004: 177,100); and sales in Latin America reached 63,200 units (2004: 57,600). Even outside of the core markets, sales in the rest of the world increased from 203,100 to 266,900 units. In addition to the attractive products, strong demand on the Asian market was also one of the decisive factors behind this growth rate of more than 31%. In Asia, DaimlerChrysler sold a total of 165,600 units (2004: 119,400).

Andreas Renschler, DaimlerChrysler Board of Management member responsible for Commercial Vehicles, said: “The record sales mark achieved in 2005 is a confirmation that our trucks, buses and vans are extraordinarily popular with customers all over the world. To take on the challenges in the years ahead, we will be relying on initiatives for optimizing our operative processes and growth in new and existing markets, as well as on exciting new products like the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.”

In 2005, DaimlerChrysler's Trucks Europe/Latin America (Mercedes-Benz) business unit recorded a 8% increase in sales worldwide, to approximately 148,000 vehicles (2004: 137,400). The keys to this success continue to be the second generation of the flagship Actros truck, and the Axor and Atego production series. All three truck model ranges are already available with BlueTec diesel technology, enabling them to fulfill the emission standards Euro 4 and Euro 5. This means the Mercedes-Benz truck lineup is more up-to-date than the products offered by competitors. In the core market of Western Europe, sales were up by 12% over the 2004 level.

During the same period, the Trucks NAFTA business unit sold 182,400 trucks from all Freightliner brands - a 20% increase over the previous year’s total (152,400). Freightliner LLC remains the market leader for heavy-duty trucks of the U.S. Class 8 segment, increasing its market share in the NAFTA region to around 36% (plus 1% compared to 2004) and the second-largest manufacturer of medium-duty trucks of the U.S. Classes 6/7 segments. Following optimization of the brand and product portfolio of DaimlerChrysler’s Commercial Vehicles Division, the special vehicles manufacturer American LaFrance was sold to Patriarch Partners LLC in December 2005.

Last year, the Fuso business unit sold about 178,900 trucks and buses. The German-Japanese management team systematically continued its business renewal measures with good success. In 2005, the new Canter light truck debuted in Europe and other export markets and the new Fighter medium-duty truck was introduced in Japan. Fuso is also the Commercial Vehicles Division’s Center of Competence for light trucks and hybrid drives. Fuso will launch a hybrid version of the Canter on the Japanese market this year.
With worldwide sales of more than 36,200 Mercedes-Benz, Setra and Orion vehicles, the DaimlerChrysler Buses and Coaches business unit once again posted a 10% increase in sales (2004: 32,800). With this performance, the world’s market leader once again confirmed its top position. This positive development was achieved particularly as a result of the growth in chassis sales to 24,000 units (plus 16% in comparison to 2004), while sales of complete buses (12,200 vehicles) remained at the level reached in 2004. In Europe, the business unit presented various new products: the new generation of the Mercedes-Benz Travego coach, the city and intercity bus Mer-cedes-Benz Citaro Low Entry as well as the new Setra intercity bus Multi-Class 400 and the new Mercedes-Benz Integro.

With 267,200 units sold in 2005, the Mercedes-Benz Vans business unit once again registered a 2.5% increase over the previous year’s mark (2004: 260,700). An important factor contributing to this growth was the continuing strong demand for the Viano and Vito models and for the Sprinter, which set a new record in its last year of production at the Düsseldorf and Buenos Aires plants with more than 167,000 units. In the NAFTA region last year, 28,100 Sprinters were sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge and Freightliner brands, a 49% increase over the 2004 total (18,900 units). DaimlerChrysler recently announced it will be dedicating its Charleston/South Carolina facility to assembly of the next generation Dodge Sprinter van in response to growing demand in the North American markets.