Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA), an organizational unit of Daimler Trucks that jointly operates Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd. (DICV) will be expanding sales and services for its FUSO brand benefitting from the opening of two new Daimler Trucks regional centers.
Just months after the opening of the first Regional Center for Commercial Vehicles in Dubai (responsible for Middle East and North Africa), Daimler Trucks has opened a second RC in Nairobi, Kenya and a third in Pretoria, South Africa. These regional centers will be responsible for sales and service of all Daimler brands in 41 markets in East, Central and West Africa and will cover 9 markets of Southern Africa.
DTA will benefit from this regional setup with its FUSO brand that has been sold in Africa for more than 45 years. Mr. Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of MFTBC and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia: “With the opening of these two new Regional Centers, we will get closer to our FUSO customers in Africa, being able to sell and service them better. We believe that Africa has a big growth potential for robust and efficient trucks and intend to increase our sales and market share with this step.”
DTA has launched its all-new FUSO range in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa since 2013, with more markets to come. The vehicle range is manufactured in its state-of-the art factory in Chennai, India and exported to the African markets. Later in 2016 DTA will start to sell its new high-powered heavy-duty truck under the FUSO brand in Kenya and Tanzania in response to demand for increasing infrastructure projects.
Mr. Llistosella sees this move as another proof for the successful global Daimler Truck strategy, “While benefitting from our access to Daimler Trucks Technology and international Sales setup, our DTA brands FUSO and BharatBenz are clearly positioned as the growth drivers in Asia, Africa and South America.”
East, Central, and West Africa: A promising region with a population of 770 million inhabitants
The East, Central, and West Africa region, with a total population of 770 million consists of 41 markets, including Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria. It offers great long-term potential for growth, 68% of the population is under the age of 25 – no other region has a higher percentage. The dynamic development of the region is further supported by direct foreign investment. In parallel with the growing economy, it can be assumed that the transport sector will develop and thus also the demand for commercial vehicles will increase. In 2015, Daimler Trucks sold around 5,900 commercial vehicles in the region, of which 4,000 units were Fuso. This shows that DTA is already a key growth driver for the Daimler Commercial Vehicles business.
Southern Africa: Dynamic development expected in the medium term
Market observers see similar dynamics in the region of Southern Africa. The region is comprised of nine countries, including South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Despite the currently challenging global economic situation, experts expect annual increases in average growth of more than 4.5%. Correspondingly great potential is expected for the RCSA. Last year, Daimler sold around 5,500 commercial vehicles in the region, including 1,600 Fuso units.
