Daimler to become 2016’s biggest luxury automaker

German automaker Daimler is to become this year’s biggest and most successful high-end automobile maker, its chief executive stated on Thursday.

“We will accomplish it this year, 4 years ahead of time,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said at a financial conference in Frankfurt, referring to the automaker’s 2020 target of becoming the world’s biggest premium automaker.

The automaker had announced the goal in 2011 and Zetsche stated back then everybody was laughing at the announcement.

Daimler’s automobile unit Mercedes Benz was on track for full-year sales of over 2 million cars, Zetsche informed, putting it ahead of competitors Audi and BMW.