Oh Lord: Your Mercedes Engine Might Come From China
Daimler’s China business is getting increasingly important. Two series, the C-Klasse and the E-Klasse, are already being built in China at their joint venture with Beijing’s BAIC. Soon, there will be a third line, says Automobilwoche [sub]. Today, Daimler’s CFO Bodo Uebber did not want to deny that it will be the GLK compact SUV. Wait, there is more …
By 2015, Daimler, called “Benz” in China, wants to double their annual sales in the Middle Kingdom to 300,000 units, half of them produced in China. The joint venture plant in Beijing needs to double its capacity.
And here comes a shocker for Daimler fundamentalists: Daimler might be building engines in China. For the first time in Daimler’s history, engines will be built outside of Deutschland, says Automobilwoche. Oh Lord, your next Mercedes Benz might have a Chinese engine.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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"SVX pearlie June 24th, 2010 at 2:00 pm I know. From his comment, it would appear that golfers are a bunch of elitist a-holes with more money than brains." And your point? :)
Now now. Country club members are few and far between. The vast majority of golfers are working/middle class, and if they're members of a club, it's a public or municipal course. At my muni club, the directory has ads from roofers, carpenters, tile setters, plumbers, a DUI attorney and a bail bondsman - all members. We tend to have the same opinion of the country club set as stated above, and we know we outnumber them 20-1. FYI, the most common car question at my muni course is "How many more miles you think you can get out of that heap?"
I find it amusing that so many would still be reluctant to buy, simply because of the product's country of manufacture. Would these same ppl have issues with their Ipods, Macbooks, Thinkpads, LG screens, all of which are manufactured in China? I hope they also know that the V6 in the Trailblazer, and the block of the engine in teh Honda Fit, are also made in China...
Daimler has been making diesel engines in Brazil for decades. Wasn't the original BMW Mini engine made by Daimler in Brazil. Whats the difference?