Dieter Zetsche confirms talks with potential partners regarding the Chrysler Group
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, the Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, has confirmed for the first time that discussions have taken place with interested parties regarding future options for the Chrysler Group. "In this context, I can confirm that we are talking with some of the potential partners who have shown a clear interest", Zetsche is quoted as saying in the text of the speech he will deliver at the Annual Meeting 2007 in Berlin today. However, Zetsche continued, "But it is also true that we need to keep all options open, and that I cannot disclose any details, because we need to have the maximum scope for maneuver.” The company's management requires "the greatest possible flexibility so that we can identify and then professionally implement the best possible solution."
- enhance DaimlerChrysler's financial strength in a sustainable way and increase enterprise value;
- create the right conditions for a clear strategic focus for DaimlerChrysler;
- make the Chrysler Group's business system competitive and profitable on a sustainable basis;
- find the best possible option for the employees.
"This means, that after reviewing all options, we will finally decide for the option that best meets our criteria", Zetsche is quoted in the text of the speech, adding: "So far, I am satisfied with the process. Everything is going according to plan."
Sustainable mobility
In light of the recent discussion on climate protection, the DaimlerChrysler Chairman gave a clear commitment on sustainable mobility: "For us at DaimlerChrysler, the emission-free automobile is and remains the long-term goal of our 'roadmap' toward sustainable mobility." This roadmap has three main components:
- the consequent further improvement of combustion engines, with and without a hybrid option;
- high-quality and alternative fuels;
- emission-free driving, with the fuel cell as a long-term goal.
Since 1990, DaimlerChrysler has reduced its fleet consumption and the CO2 emissions of its passenger cars in Germany by 30 percent. It has also lowered exhaust emissions by more than 70 percent and particulate emissions by more than 95 percent in some cases. The company is also pursuing a strategy "to make diesel engines as clean as gasoline engines - and gasoline engines as economical as diesels", says Zetsche. In the meantime, every fifth Mercedes vehicle can travel 100 kilometers on five liters or less. The smart cdi is the world's best-selling three-liter car, and also the world champion when it comes to low CO2 emissions, emitting only 88 grams of CO2 per kilometer. DaimlerChrysler believes that BLUETEC, the clean diesel technology, which reduces some emissions by up to 80 percent, can play a key role in helping to further optimize combustion engines. Hybrid technology also enables combustion engines to be operated more efficiently. DaimlerChrysler was already developing hybrid vehicles in the early 1990s and today has a 60 percent share of the world market for hybrid buses, making it the world market leader. "Every new vehicle we develop will be engineered to accommodate a hybrid drive train," says Zetsche.
High grade and alternative fuel plays a key role in ensuring that modern engines can be used effectively. Because oil reserves are finite, DaimlerChrysler is preparing its engines for use with alternative fuels as well. In addition to natural gas and bioethanol, the company is focusing on second-generation biofuels - in other words, on synthetic biomass-to-liquid fuels (BTL), which are made from straw or waste wood.
In the long term, DaimlerChrysler is committed to the fuel cell drive, which is not only environmentally friendly but also highly efficient. The company is a pioneer in this key technology, having presented the first-ever fuel cell vehicle back in 1994. “However, the fuel cell remains a technology of the future. There is still a long way to go”, emphasizes Zetsche.
Zetsche therefore called on politicians, the oil industry and automakers to work together in order to create, for example, an appropriate legal framework, the necessary infrastructure, a hydrogen supply network, and the requisite automotive technology in order to address the many questions that remain unanswered with regard to fuel cell technology.
In 2006, DaimlerChrysler invested €5.3 billion in research and development. A large part of this was for innovations and technologies for clean and environmentally friendly vehicles, including €1.4 billion invested in Europe.
Source: DaimlerChrysler
