Zetsche: Daimler Will Become World’s Top Luxury Vehicle Maker in 2016

This year Daimler AG will become the world’s most-profitable and highest-volume luxury car maker, CEO Dieter Zetsche declares.

He tells an economic conference in Frankfurt that Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit is on track to sell more than 2 million vehicles in 2016, thereby surpassing rival BMW AG. Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit is expected to rank third.

Zetsche predicted in 2011 that Mercedes would top BMW by 2020. At the time, global BMW and Mercedes brand sales totaled 1.38 million (+13%) and 1.26 million (+8%), respectively.