Daimler Financial Services expects 2014 to become the best year in the company’s history

Stuttgart. Daimler Financial Services is on track to set new records in 2014. The company is currently leasing or financing more passenger cars, vans, trucks, and buses than ever before — a total of 3.3 million vehicles worth €95 billion. “We're experiencing one of the best years in our company's history,” says Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of the Daimler Financial Services Board of Management. “We posted an EBIT of nearly €1.1 billion in the first three quarters of 2014; this represents an increase of 14 percent compared to the same period of the prior year — and a new all-time record.”

In the first ten months of the year, Daimler Financial Services initiated roughly 1.1 million new financing or leasing contracts worldwide (+13 percent against prior year) with a total value of €38 billion. Particularly in China, more and more automobile customers are now financing or leasing their vehicles — and as a result, the number of new contracts in China has more than doubled. The number of vehicle insurance policies brokered by Daimler Financial Services around the world has also increased — by 10 percent to roughly 1.1 million.

Further growth

For the coming years, Daimler Financial Services expects a positive development. “We continue to strive for profitable growth”, says Entenmann. Growth will be driven by factors such as the Mercedes-Benz model offensive and the rapidly growing demand in countries such as China and India. In addition, Daimler Financial Services plans to attract larger numbers of younger customers by offering them flexible terms. The company will also step up its online activities and offer more apps.

Mobility services from a single source

Daimler Financial Services also plans to grow through its moovel GmbH mobility services subsidiary, whose revenues will reach €100 million for the first time in 2014. The moovel app brings together various mobility services, ranging from carsharing and taxis to public transportation. “With moovel, we want to redefine personal mobility,” says Entenmann. This past September, moovel GmbH acquired both Intelligent Apps GmbH, which offers the mytaxi app, and the Ridescout mobility platform in the U.S. The centerpiece of moovel is the car2go carsharing service, which currently has more than 900,000 customers.

Employer award

The independent Great Place to Work Institute ranks Daimler Financial Services among the world's best employers. In October the institute placed Daimler's Financial Services division on its list of the 25 “World's Best Multinational Workplaces.” DFS is the first German company to be placed on the list. Approximately 2,800 companies qualified for the competition. “Becoming a great place to work is a mindset”, says Entenmann. “Our corporate culture is based on a clear set of core values. Every employee has both the opportunity and responsibility to make our company a great place to work. And they do. Our highly motivated employees and our strong culture are reasons why we’re able to deliver outstanding service and strong results year for year.”

About Daimler

Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services. The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group’s focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world’s most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2013, the Group sold 2.35 million vehicles and employed a workforce of 274,616 people; revenue totaled €118.0 billion and EBIT amounted to €10.8 billion.

Further information about Daimler is available on the Internet at www.media.daimler.com and www.daimler-financialservices.com.

CONTACT:

Andreas Spannbauer

phone +49 (0)711 25 74 40 78