DaimlerChrysler will not let itself blur the sharp distinctions between its brands and will not enter the market for low-price cars, its head of corporate development was reported as saying on Wednesday.
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“We will not use a vehicle platform for several brands” despite pressure to cut costs and boost productivity, Ruediger Grube told a labour union event in Stuttgart, according to Reuters.
“A Mercedes will remain a Mercedes and may not share a platform with anyone,” he reportedly said, for fear its sales and margins would suffer should buyers think they could get basically the same car for less money if sold under a sister brand.
The company must instead seek cost savings from sharing parts such as water pumps that customers will never see or by pooling resources for purchasing or operating data processing systems, he said, according to the report.
At an earlier industry conference in Frankfurt, he had said the group would not venture into offering cheap cars, which analysts say is likely to be the fastest-growing market segment, the report added.
“We will leave this to the others,” he said, according to Reuters.
