Daimler, Germany’s oldest automotive company, has recently announced plans to change its structure. For decades, we knew the car manufacturer as Daimler-Benz, now they plan to split into separate entities. Daimler will rename itself as Mercedes-Benz while the truck manufacturer will remain in the heavy vehicle category.
What will be left after the split is a passenger-focused Mercedes-Benz. This is very similar to the split Volvo did when it separated from its own truck division.
“This is a historic moment for Daimler. It represents the start of a profound reshaping of the company. Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans and Daimler Trucks & Buses are different businesses with specific customer groups, technology paths and capital needs.” – Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz
What will become of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz now?
We will still see both on the roads, although we are yet to see if the truck manufacturer will create its own logo for their trucks and busses. The Mercedes-Benz we know even more so will now focus entirely on passenger vehicles. This will split the development of hydrogen for trucks and the new trending electric power for smaller vehicles.
This change is expected to happen after the shareholders’ vote in the third quarter of 2021.
“We have confidence in the financial and operational strength of our two vehicle divisions. And we are convinced that independent management and governance will allow them to operate even faster, invest more ambitiously, target growth and cooperation, and thus be significantly more agile and competitive.” – Ola Källenius