DaimlerChrysler AG said on Monday that it is still considering how much of the cost of parts it could share among its various commercial vehicles affiliates, with internal estimates ranging from 35% to 80%, Dow Jones reported.
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DaimlerChrysler truck and bus division spokesman Othmar Stein told Dow Jones the company’s newly formed Truck Product and Decision Committee meets regularly, and is seeking ways of saving money through tighter coordination among its multiple brands.
These include Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner in the US as well as Mitsubishi and Hyundai Motor brands, Dow Jones said.
Dow Jones said Stein was responding to an earlier Financial Times report which said the company plans to share at least 75% of the cost of engines, axles and gearboxes among its global truck operations.
Stein told Dow Jones he couldn’t confirm the FT’s estimates, citing analysts and “people close to the company”, that the parts-sharing scheme could save DaimlerChrysler between $US500 million and $1 billion.
According to Dow Jones, Stein said there are no fixed plans to unveil details of the parts-sharing plan in the first quarter of 2003, as the FT reported.
Stein confirmed that DaimlerChrysler’s target for return on sales of commercial vehicles is still 4% to 5%, Dow Jones said.
