DAIMLER AG chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche said the German automaker and billionaire Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co. had made good progress on developing an electric car and had specifications for the model in place.
The two automakers, which formed a partnership in May, would soon decide on the design of the car, Zetsche said, speaking at a forum in Shanghai on Saturday. The model will be introduced as early as 2012.
Automakers are forming partnerships to work on fuel-efficient vehicles as the United States, Japan and Europe push manufacturers to cut oil consumption and carbon emissions tied to global warming. Daimler, the world s second-biggest luxury carmaker, also formed a partnership earlier this year with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA to share platforms and engines and possibly cooperate on electric-car parts.
The car we want to develop together has now been defined in the so-called spec book, so we know the specific details this car should fulfill, Zetsche said. The shape and form of the car are soon to be defined and those are the prerequisites for starting development itself and its execution.
Daimler is pushing into electric-vehicle production in China, the world s largest auto market, to challenge luxury leader Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, while the tie-up, agreed in May, could give BYD access to Daimler technology.
BYD, which had an advantage in battery technology, was complementary and a good partner for Daimler, Zetsche said. Daimler and BYD have said they will invest 600 million yuan (US$90 million) in the 50-50 partnership.
Zetsche expected 1 to 5 percent of all new-vehicle sales would be electric in 2020.
Daimler s electric-vehicle strategy includes large-scale production of a battery-powered version of its Smart minicar, starting in 2012. The company began assembling about 1,000 electric versions of the urban two-seater in November 2009. Daimler also plans to build more than 500 electrically powered Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars this year.(SD-Agencies)
