Daimler AG may consider selling trucks from its US subsidiary Freightliner in Russia. Reports carried in the European media over the past few days quote Daimler Truck chief Andreas Renschler as describing Russia as having 'enormous potential', as it is the one large emerging market with standards close to those in both the EU and the United States.
"The distances in Russia are similar to the American market and
Freightliner trucks might make sense for some customers," Renschler told Bloomberg News.
Some 4,000 used Freightliner trucks were sold in Russia last year, more than the number of used, European-sourced Mercedes-Benz trucks - a function, in part, of the weakness of the US dollar against both the Euro and the Russian ruble. Two Russian Freightliner-badged dealers - which claim official status and US-trained staff - are listed on Freightliner's website.
Daimler AG has long been rumoured to be preparing to establish a manufacturing presence within the CIS, a commonwealth of 11 former Soviet republics including Russia and Ukraine. Some years ago, Freightliner investigated the possibility of bringing its Argosy cab-over model to Europe, but this
was squashed by Mercedes-Benz in a bid to ensure Actros market share.
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