The E-Class segment is currently enjoying a boom in China: a total of around 122,000 vehicles from this class were sold there in 2008, but according to experts this figure is already expected to exceed 200,000 in 2010. Long versions dominate the segment with a share of close to 90 percent. Customers are primarily entrepreneurs and the self-employed, many of whom use the services of a chauffeur.
Produced in Germany, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon (W 212) has already sold more than 12,000 units in the People's Republic of China since the middle of 2009. The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class L (V 212), on the other hand, is produced locally at Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd (BBAC) with a local share in value terms of more than 40 percent. BBAC is a joint venture between Daimler AG and its long-term partner Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC). The Mercedes-Benz E-Class models are produced in a new plant in the Beijing Development Area in the southeast of the city.
