Mercedes-Benz Group AG is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-Benz was formed with the merger of Benz & Cie., the world's oldest car company, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1926. The company was renamed DaimlerChrysler upon the acquisition of the American automobile manufacturer, Chrysler Corporation in 1998, it was renamed to Daimler upon the divestment of Chrysler in 2007. In 2021, Daimler was the second-largest German automaker and the sixth-largest worldwide by production. In February 2022, Daimler was renamed Mercedes-Benz Group as part of a transaction that spun-off its commercial vehicle segment as an independent company, Daimler Truck.
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue.
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to access a new market, particularly emerging market; to gain scale efficiencies by combining assets and operations; to share risk for major investments or projects; or to access skills and capabilities.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. (ZGH), commonly known as Geely Holding, is a Chinese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The company is privately owned by Chinese entrepreneur Li Shufu, and mainly engaged in the automotive industry.
Beijing Benz is an automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Beijing, China, and a joint venture between BAIC Motor and Mercedes-Benz Group.
The automotive industry in India is the world's fourth-largest by production and valuation as per 2022 statistics. As of 2023, India is the 3rd largest automobile market in the world in terms of sales.
Force Motors Ltd is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company, based in Pune. From 1958 until 2005, the company was known as Bajaj Tempo Motors because it originated as a joint venture between Bajaj Trading Corporation and Germany's Tempo for manufacturing auto components. The company is known for brands, like the Gurkha, Matador, Minidor and Traveller. Over the last five decades [when?], it has partnered with global manufacturers, such as Rolls Royce, BMW, Daimler, ZF, Bosch, VW, Traton and MAN, for manufacturing auto components.
Valmet Automotive is a Finnish vehicle contract manufacturer and supplier of battery, roof, and kinematic systems.
The Mercedes-Benz Vito is a mid-sized light commercial vehicle (LCV) produced by Mercedes-Benz, available as a panel van, chassis cab, or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), carrying cargo or up to eight passengers. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, it is positioned between the larger Sprinter and the smaller Citan.
Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd., known as Foton Motor or Foton, is a Chinese company that designs and manufactures trucks, buses and sport utility vehicles. It is headquartered in Changping, Beijing, and is a subsidiary of the BAIC Group.
Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Shunyi, Beijing. Founded in 1958, it is the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 1.723 million sales in 2021.
The automotive industry in Germany, is one of the largest employers in the country, with a labor force of over 857,336 (2016) working in the industry.
Smart is a German automotive marque established in 1994. Smart Automobile Co., Ltd. is a joint venture established by Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2019 and aimed at producing Smart-badged cars in China to be marketed globally. The venture is headquartered in Ningbo. Originally, the marque was known for producing microcars and subcompacts, primarily the Fortwo and Forfour, at Smartville in Hambach, Moselle, France and additionally at Renault's Revoz plant. It now produces small battery electric vehicles at a manufacturing plant in China, with distribution, marketing and aftersales activities in Europe handled by Smart Europe GmbH, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
BharatBenz is a brand of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the German manufacturer Daimler Truck AG. The brand is known for its trucks and buses. The headquarters of BharatBenz is at Oragadam, Chennai, India.
Shenzhen Denza New Energy Co., Ltd., trading as Denza, is an automobile manufacturing company and brand owned by BYD Auto. The brand produces premium plug-in electric vehicles.
The Fujian Motors Group is based in the Fujian Province, China and was founded in 1992.
BAIC Motor Corporation Limited is a Chinese automaker headquartered in Beijing. The H shares of the company were traded in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It was part of BAIC Group, itself a subsidiary of Beijing Municipal Government.
Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes (COMPAS) is a joint venture manufacturing plant between Mercedes-Benz Group and Nissan based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The factory was announced in July 2015 as a strategic alliance between the two companies. Both companies invested a total of $1 billion for construction and operation of the manufacturing plant. The production site is located near the Nissan Aguascalientes A2 plant.
There are currently about 150 active brands in the Chinese automobile market. Among them are 97 Chinese domestic brands and 43 joint venture (JV) brands. Before 2010, the traditional "Big Four" refers to the four major state-owned car manufacturers, SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng and Changan. Other Chinese car manufacturers, both from public and private sectors, like Geely, BAIC, BYD, Chery, GAC, Great Wall, JAC and Seres emerged as the major players with the expansion of Chinese automotive industry.
