OREANDA-NEWS. July 09, 2012. Crucial step for the Daimler trucks division: The first jointly produced truck by the Beijing-Huairou-based joint venture between Daimler AG and Chinese truck maker Foton rolled of the assembly line. Henceforth, all Auman-brand trucks will be produced by the joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co., Ltd. (BFDA).

Along with the construction of a second Auman truck production site, the joint venture will also take care of establishing the production of the OM 457 engine at the BFDA headquarters . The OM 457 engine, which has been successfully used in Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles in Europe and Latin America, will be introduced in compliance with the coming Chinese emissions standard China IV (comparable to Euro IV).

About BFDA

Daimler contributes 50% to BFDA’s registered capital and additionally provides its engineering experience, especially in the area of diesel engines and exhaust gas systems. This know-how ensures that Chinese emission standards, ranging up to Euro V, can be met. The Beijing-Huairou-based joint venture will continue to forge ahead with capacity development. A second Auman production plant is already ramping up. Last year, nearly 110,000 medium and heavy-duty Auman trucks were sold in China. The second Auman plant will give BFDA a total production capacity of 160,000 trucks. Since the founding of the Auman brand in 2002, Foton has produced around 550,000 medium and heavy-duty trucks at its production site in Beijing-Huairou.