DaimlerChrysler AG said it will try to recapture lost market share in Taiwan by promoting Smart brand cars.
Sales of the Mercedes-engineered compacts will grow substantially over the next few years, a company executive said yesterday.
DaimlerChrysler, which distributes Chrysler, Smart, Mercedes-Benz and Jeep brands in Taiwan, believes demand for luxury brand Mercedes will also continue to be strong.
"Mercedes-Benz has held a very strong position in the passenger car market for several years in Taiwan," said Eckhard Cordes, head of the DaimlerChrysler's commercial vehicle division.
Nearly 4,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were sold to Taiwan customers in the first 10 months of this year, nearly matching last year's entire sales figure, according to Jess Liu (
The Stuttgart, Germany-based car and truck maker also expressed an interest to tap into Taiwan's growing compact car market, Cordes said at a ceremony held yesterday to celebrate the formal opening of DaimlerChrysler Taiwan Ltd.
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler cars and is charged with importation and wholesale distribution.
While the compact car segment is developing quickly in Taiwan, DaimlerChrysler's 600cc Smart compact is expected to face competition from a pool of inexpensive, locally-assembled compacts like Toyota's 1.5-liter Tercel, Nissan's 1.3-liter March, Suzuki's 1.3-liter Solio and Formosa Automobile Corp's (
Last month, Toyota sold 762 Tercels, Nissan 895 March models, Suzuki 503 Solios and 693 Formosa Matiz compacts, according to statistics provided by companies. As for DailmerChrysler, the company sold 90 Smart compacts over the last four months, said Liu. Price may be behind the sales gap.
The Smart retails for around NT$650,000 -- nearly NT$200,000 more than its competition.
Cordes admitted that one of the key challenges the company faces is how to popularize the Smart brand. One strategy is to launch a new 700cc convertible Smart compact in the first half of 2003.
Chrysler Taiwan has experienced declining sales of Chrysler and Jeep models here over the past two years after enjoying a late 90s boom. In the 1996-1997 period -- prior to the Asian financial crisis -- Chrysler sold 10,000 to 20,000 vehicles annually. Last year, the company reported a meager 1,800 in vehicle sales.
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