"The strength of BBAC ten years after its establishment is evidence of the successful Sino-German business partnership between BAIC and Daimler," noted Xu Heyi, Chairman of BAIC Group and its subsidiary BAIC Motor.

"Through continuously deepening the close cooperation between our two companies over the past years, we have been constantly moving forward to further enhance our joint company's competitiveness and to set new benchmarks in China's automotive industry."

BBAC's growth over the past decade
BBAC has developed rapidly since its inception ten years ago. In 2014, almost 150,000 vehicles, nearly eight times as many as in 2006, rolled off BBAC's production lines, accounting for more than one-half of Mercedes-Benz's total 2014 sales volume in China.

This figure was already above 60% as of June 2015, and is expected to grow further in the future. June 2015 saw also the first time ever that more than 20,000 units rolled off the assembly lines in a single month, a figure that roughly equals the company's annual production from 2007. This constant growth of BBAC is backed by strong funding: The two shareholders are jointly investing €4 billion in the company to strategically prepare the company for the future.

About €400 million of this investment has been spent solely on the first ever Mercedes-Benz passenger car engine plant outside of Germany. Inaugurated in late 2013, the facility produces 4- and 6-cylinder engines, mainly to meet local demand.

The export of key machined engine components to Mercedes-Benz engine plants in Germany is a side effect, but one that underlines the high quality of the Beijing-made products. The production line has been designed to be flexible, with an annual capacity of 250,000 units for the first phase. Higher numbers are planned in line with the ongoing growth in passenger car sales.
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