Daimler to revamp China plant to make Actros trucks as sales increase

Daimler AG and its China commercial vehicle partner Beiqi Foton Motor prepare to spend 2.75 billion yuan ($415.32 million) for building Mercedes-Benz-branded Actros heavy trucks for the first time in China, a document revealed.

The partners plan to renovate plants at their joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive (BFDA) in China’s capital Beijing and include a production line, giving the plant a capacity of 50,000 Actros trucks annually, according to the construction document published on the venture’s website.

A source knowledgeable with the matter stated the companies prepare to embark on the revamp next year.

All Mercedes-Benz trucks presently sold in China are imported and priced much higher than the venture’s regionally made Auman trucks.

The truck joint venture sold 111,788 Auman trucks, which include Daimler’s technology input, in the first 10 months of 2020, increasing 55% from the same period in 2019.