The commitment of Daimler AG in the area of charity & community
Daimler in South Africa
The link between Mercedes-Benz and South Africa goes back almost as far as the history of the automobile. It was back in the 19th century that a "Benz Velo" was shipped to South Africa and displayed in what is now the capital, Pretoria, on January 4, 1897.
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The first motorcar in South Africa was a Benz Velo (built from 1894 to 1900). To the right of the vehicle the owner A. P. Hess. |
Over half a century later, in 1954, the then Daimler-Benz AG set up a liaison office in Johannesburg – and another four years later, the first Mercedes-Benz sedan (a 180) was assembled in the port city of East London.
C-Class passenger cars account for the lion's share of production at the East London automobile factory, with over 51,200 units produced in 2008, including vehicles for export. In addition to the Mercedes-Benz East London plant and the headquarters in Zwartkop outside Pretoria, Daimler's involvement in South Africa also includes Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Daimler Fleet Management. In total, Daimler has around 6,000 employees in South Africa. | ||||||||||
As well as passenger cars, Mercedes-Benz Actros and Axor vehicles imported in line with the CKD principle ("completely knocked down") are also assembled in East London. In addition, Daimler Trucks sells trucks of the Freightliner, Western Star and Mitsubishi Fuso brands. More than 9,100 commercial vehicles of 3.5 tons or over were sold in 2008.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in East London, South Africa is one of the top state-of-the-arts automotive plants in the world. Mercedes-Benz is an established business player and one of the largest employers in the region. Daimler’s activities in South Africa are not limited to automotive production alone. The film shows the group’s social involvement in health education and services and secondary education on the basis of three examples.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa is helping to make the world's biggest sporting event a success in many ways. The company's sponsorship commitments include the South African Football Association Safa and "Bafana, Bafana" ("The Boys"), the national team of the sport-loving nation.
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