Daimler eyes China

    DAIMLER AG’s Mercedes-Benz luxury brand will continue to enjoy growth in China, Daimler board member Hubertus Troska said Sunday.

    The introduction of the new E-Class sedan in the second half of 2016 will add further growth momentum to sales that have already jumped in the past year due to demand for the GLC sports utility vehicle and new C-Class, Troska said. Last year Mercedes sold 373,459 vehicles in China, an increase of 33 percent compared with 2014, far outpacing the overall market, which is expected to grow by 3 percent when final 2015 sales results are tallied.

    GM believes in China

    GENERAL Motors Co. (GM) chief executive officer Mary Barra said that although growth in the Chinese market has slowed, sales will grow significantly over the long term.

    GM’s sales in China rose 5 percent last year, Barra said. The company will begin this year exporting a compact crossover vehicle, the Buick Envision, from China. It is the first mass-market vehicle made in China that will be sold in the U.S. market.

    Dalian Wanda revenue

    CHINESE conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group said its 2015 revenue rose 19 percent from a year earlier, beating its own target, boosted by a surge in sales in leisure and financial operations as it diversifies away from its core but slowing property business.

    Owned by China’s richest man Wang Jianlin, Dalian Wanda said in a statement its revenue rose to 290.2 billion yuan (US$44 billion) last year, some 9 percent above its own target.

    Uber gets investment

    UBER Technologies Inc. said yesterday its China unit will get an undisclosed amount of investment from Chinese firm HNA Group as part of a new partnership with the aviation and shipping conglomerate, giving the U.S. ride-hailing firm fresh cash as it competes with larger domestic rival Didi Kuaidi.

    In a statement, Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick said the alliance aims to “make global and local travel even simpler and more convenient.”