Daimler down
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DAIMLER-BENZ's German commercial vehicle plants manufactured 173,000 vehicles in 1983, a fall of 7 per cent compared with 1982, while Daimler-Benz subsidiaries overseas in Brazil, Argentina, USA and Spain manufactured 48,000 trucks and buses, 15 per cent fewer than the previous year.
The West German manufacturer's domestic market revived somewhat in 1983 with total cv registrations in the Federal Republic increasing by around 14 per cent to 141,000 units and Daimler-Benz maintained its home market share.
But a 14 per cent growth in domestic sales was more than offset by a dramatic decline in demand from export markets particularly Opec countries.
Sales of Mercedes vehicles above 6 tonnes gvw (those built at Worth) declined most severely while van production hardly fell at all. The transfer of van manufacturing from Bremen to Dusseldorf, to make way for the new 190 car plant, is expected to be completed by mid 1984 and all Mercedes vans will then come from the DUsseldorf factory.