【April 19, Shanghai】 The 2017 (17th) Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition opened today at the National Convention and Exhibition Centre in Shanghai which attracted great attention. As the model of China’s high-end automotive manufacturing industry, Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBAC) made a splendid display of its complete model lineup and introduced the new generation of locally produced Mercedes-Benz GLA SUV in Asia. Mr. Arno van der Merwe, President and CEO of BBAC, and Mr. Chen Wei, Secretary of the Party Committee and Senior Executive Vice-President of BBAC, led the new executive management team as representatives of the company at the event. The growing expansion of its product line and constant improvement of product power not only show how BBAC has endeavored to meet the demands of the Chinese market, but represent the enormous strength of BBAC as China’s benchmark enterprise in premium automotive brands.

With the theme of “committed to a better life”, this year’s automotive exhibition showed the development blueprint for the future of the automotive industry, led by cutting-edge technology and products and the unremitting pursuit of high quality within the contemporary objective of “Made in China”, which corresponds with BBAC’s concept of high-speed breakthroughs and prominent development. In recent years, BBAC has successfully established the largest and Daimler’s only Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle production base that manufactures front-wheel drive architecture, rear-wheel drive architecture, and powertrain architecture all under one roof. The production and sales of this base has achieved more than 20 percent growth year-on-year for several years. This excellent list of achievements at BBAC has not only revealed the rapidly growing comprehensive strength of BBAC, but attracted attention from international authorities. This March, BBAC won the first “Factory of the Year” Award, considered to be the “Oscar” of the global manufacturing industry, a first for China’s automobile manufacturing industry, showing BBAC’s manufacturing and operations capacity is world-class. Meanwhile, its unique management and operational concept of “One Quality, One Standard, One Team” and the rapid and lean achievements have provided an advanced model for the development of the future automobile industry.

On the basis of the concept of “German quality, made in China”, BBAC has constantly launched products, well received by consumers, and has been highly recognized by the market for optimizing and upgrading product structure via platform and serialization strategy. In the first quarter of this year, the sales (wholesale volume) of BBAC achieved nearly 110 thousand, almost 57 percent growth year-on-year, retaining its second position among China’s joint-venture premium car brands.

Always forging ahead has made BBAC stand out against the competition amid slower improvement in the automobile market. BBAC fully expects to continue to outperform the market with the appearance of the new generation GLA SUV. As the first product of BBAC’s front wheel drive platform, GLA SUV has successfully accumulated a favorable consumer base since its launch in 2015. To further meet the personalized demand of Chinese consumers, the new generation GLA SUV has unique appearance and interior design—multiple brand new colors for the car body form the sport-tech style, creating great visual impact. The ingenious design of the sport seats and wheels add to driving comfort and characteristics. The newly-equipped high-performance LED headlights set off the extraordinary luster of the simple but beautiful body line. In addition, the smart driving assistance system and luxury interactive entertainment system create a much more convenient, affluent and smooth interior experience. The new generation GLA SUV will undoubtedly win the lasting favor of consumers due to its exterior design with sport style and outstanding scientific configuration.

Meanwhile, the other three BBAC models have also made progress in their respective mainstream market segments through their increasing product competitiveness, continuously inspiring BBAC to forge ahead to the leading position in China’s premium automobile market. In February this year, the output of BBAC’s C-Class, E-Class and GLC SUV all achieved 10 thousand units, and output of the engine plant was over 40 thousand units. This overall breakthrough has laid a solid foundation for BBAC to further expand market share and enabled more and more Chinese consumers to own a Mercedes-Benz car.

BBAC, sticking to its initial determination in the future, will conform to its mission of “Build Mercedes-Benz in China” and constantly seek innovation and breakthroughs. It will also repay consumers with products and services in accordance with Mercedes-Benz’s global standards, lead China’s automobile industry to transform from “manufacturing” to “Innovation” with globally leading manufacturing craft and outstanding operation, and contribute to the early accomplishment of the splendid strategy of “Made in China 2025” by increasing corporate strength at the maximum speed of development.