Daimler to build commercial vehicle plant in China's Fujian province

Shanghai. October 24 (Gasgoo.com) - Daimler AG launched yesterday a 208 million euro ($295 million) commercial vehicle manufacturing plant in Fujian, a coastal province in southeastern China, Shanghai Securities Journal reported today.

The plant, known as Fujian Daimler Automotive Ltd (FJDA) is located in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province. Fujian Motor Group and Daimler Light Vehicles (Hong Kong) Co each holds 50 percent of the JV’s stakes. Daimler Light Vehicles (Hong Kong) Co is made up of China Motors Corp of Taiwan and Daimler Motor.

The construction of this plant will be finished by the end of 2008 and the first Chinese made Mecedez-Benz light vehicle will roll off assembly line in this plant by mid-2009, Shanghai Securities Journal said.  

"We plan to make Mercedes-Benz Viano, Vito multi-purpose vehicle and Sprinter vans in the first phase here, and Viano will be the first model to go on sale in the market," said Ulrich Walker, Chairman and CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia.

"The plant will be able to produce up to 60,000 vehicles annually in the second phase, and it will be flexible enough to change its output and product lineups in line with market demand," Walker said.