Print

Mail

wiki links

DaimlerChrysler aims to boost market share

DaimlerChrysler Taiwan Ltd is expecting to maintain its luxury car sales this year an executive said yesterday.

"Our car sales should remain at the same level as last year, but we hope to increase our market share," Wolfram Geisler, the company president and CEO, said on the sidelines of a Lunar New Year media gathering.

Last year, the company sold a total of 6,383 vehicles, translating to a 10.7 percent share of the imported car market.

The company trailed behind Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), which sold 9,243 imported cars, translating to a 15.4 percent share, and Volkswagen AG at 8,756 units or 14.6 percent share, according to the statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

The local luxury car sector declined by 6 percent last year, Geisler said.

"Generally weak consumer spending impacts on people's willingness to splurge on luxury cars," he said.

But as most luxury-car buyers are high-income earners, they are more willing to spend, he said

DaimlerChrysler is expecting to sell 5,000 Mercedes-Benz sedans by year's end or 200 more than it sold last year.

Sales of Smart compact cars, however, would drop to 200 from the 280 units sold last year.

Geisler said that as Smart compacts were well-received in the local market last year, stocks have nearly run out.

The brand-new Smartfor2, however, will be introduced to the local market in August, he said.

Meanwhile, Chrysler Group Taiwan Sales Ltd is faced with challenges pushing locally assembled 3.3-liter Town & Country minivans. Only 700 or so had been sold by the end of December, falling short of a target of 2,800 units.

"The minivan market plunged by 40 percent last year due to high fuel prices," said Max Luo (駱衡陽), marketing general manager of the company.
This story has been viewed 1142 times.