Daimler Opens Mercedes R&D Center in Beijing

Daimler AG says its just-opened product research and development facility in Beijing will help it fine-tune its Mercedes-Benz cars and crossovers to the tastes of wealthy Chinese customers.

Troska

Hubertus Troska, who heads Daimler's China operations, tells Reuters the average Mercedes buyer in China is 38 compared with about 55 in Germany. He says these younger buyers are eager to have in-car Internet access. And like many wealthy Chinese customers who use chauffeurs during the work week, they want more spacious back seats, sophisticated climate-control systems and advanced entertainment systems.

Troska says the company will soon announce a special ultra-luxury model designed specifically for the Chinese market. He hints the car will be a variant of the Mercedes brand's flagship S-Class sedan.

Mercedes expects China to become its largest national market by the end of 2016. This year the brand will sell 291,000 units in China compared with 581,000 vehicles for Audi and 448,000 for BMW, according to LMC Automotive.