Daimler studies plans to ramp up China car production

German carmaker Daimler is studying plans to ramp up output at its Beijing factory, possibly by manufacturing its GLK four-wheel-drive or another mid-range car there, a company executive told a German newspaper Thursday.

The GLK is a so-called crossover between a regular compact car and a sport utility vehicle (SUV). Sales of Daimler's mid-range Mercedes- Benz C-Class and more expensive E-Class cars have been soaring, along with those of other manufacturers.

'We are thinking about producing further models below the E-Class, in addition to the C-Class,' said chief financial officer Bodo Uebber in remarks to the Stuttgarter Zeitung. He said he would not rule out the GLK being chosen.

Daimler's sales target in China for 2015 is 300,000 cars, with half to be assembled in Chinese factories.

'By then the capacity of our Beijing factory will be doubled,' said Uebber.

He also disclosed talks with Renault-Nissan on whether to produce a compact model from the Nissan Infiniti range at a planned Mercedes- Benz factory in Hungary. The talks were still 'at an early stage with nothing decided yet,' he said.

Infiniti began as the Japanese manufacturer's challenge to premium brands such as Mercedes-Benz.

Separately, BMW said it was studying whether to revise upward its financial forecast for this year.

Chief human resources officer Harald Krueger told the newspaper Handelsblatt that demand for BMW cars was rising, especially in China.

'Asia is booming and the US market is picking up,' he said.