12042019 - I N S E C U R I T Y: Buhari launches offensive; orders ruthless action

Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019 — 23
M ERCEDES-Benz
closed the first
quarter of 2019 with 560,873
passenger cars sold worldwide
(-5.6%). For the third
year in a row, sales in the first
quarter were, therefore, well
over 550,000 units. In
March, 227,644 vehicles with
the three-pointed star were
delivered to customers all
over the world (-4.1%). The
first three months of the year
featured important model
changes in the highest-volume
SUV and compact-car
segments. The company expects
an increasing vehicle
availability in the next few
months and, therefore, global
sales to increase slightly
overall in 2019. Since the beginning
of the year, Mercedes-Benz
has maintained
its market leadership in the
premium segment in Germany,
UK, France, Italy, Switzerland,
Sweden, Portugal,
Poland, Denmark, South Korea,
Australia, Canada, Brazil
and other markets.
“We are delighted with the
best quarter ever for Mercedes-Benz
in China and the
successful market launch of
the new B-Class in Europe.
The first three months of the
year were challenging
worldwide due to the ongoing
model changes for SUVs
and compact cars,” said Britta
Seeger, Member of the
Board of Management of
•Mercedes
CLA Coupe
Benz
Mercedes-Benz maintains lead
with launch of new SUVs
•Sells 560,873 vehicles in Q1
Daimler AG responsible for
Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing
and Sales. “In the
coming months, further
highlights of our current
model offensive at Mercedes-Benz
will be launched;
the CLA Coupé, for example,
will be available in our
showrooms in May.From the
middle of the year, the ungraded
generation of our
very popular Mid size SUVs
GLC and GLC Coupé will
then be available at our dealerships.”
In Europe, Mercedes-
Benz sold103,155vehicles in
March (-5.6%) and as per
March the sales amounted
to 224,678 (-5.6%). The discontinuation
of the CLA and
the GLE due to the model
change had an impact on
unit sales in many European
markets. In Germany, the
region’s core market,sales
of70.542units were achieved
in the first quarter (-5.0%).
In the United Kingdom, first
quarter sales increased by
1.1%, while the best-ever
first-quarter unit sales were
achieved in France, Poland
and in Denmark.
In the Asia-Pacific region,
Mercedes-Benz
delivered87,509cars to customers
last month (-1.6%).
Unit sales reached a new
record in China, the region’s
core market: 61,913 customers
were delighted to receive
their new Mercedes-Benz car
(+5.9%). Mercedes-Benz
concluded the first three
months of the year, as the best
quarter ever in China
(+2.6%) with sales of 174,343
units.
Uber partners
AXA Mansard
to sensitise
driver-parners
on safety
D RIVER-PART
NERS registered
on the Uber app, had the opportunity
of engaging with
law enforcement officials,
health and safety organizations,
and members of the
local Uber team at a workshop
geared towards improving
safety and security
on trips. The sessions highlighted
different topics such
as where to obtain original
vehicle registration details,
how to minimize risks and
prevent potential accidents
while driving, improving
wellbeing and stress management
for driver-partners,
and a thorough run-through
of Uber’s in-app safety features.
“At Uber, we are committed
to safety and are always
working to build a better
experience for driver-partners,”
said Lola Kassim,
General Manager West Africa,
Uber. He added, "It
made sense for us to collaborate
with relevant safety
and security experts, and organizations
like AXA Mansard
to organize a workshop
that provides driver-partners
with relevant and useful
safety
tips.
Toyota
redesigns
RAV4
TOYOTA has an
nounced t h e
launch of its completely
redesigned RAV4 in Japan
and the start of sales
at all nationwide Toyota
“Corolla” and “Netz”
dealers, and Toyota Mobility
Tokyo, Inc.
The first-generation
RAV4(4) debuted in
1994, when body-onframe
four-wheel drive
vehicles were positioned
as off-road vehicles. The
RAV4 would go on to
play a pivotal role in the
development of a new
market for the passenger-friendly
sport utility
vehicle (SUV/crossover
SUV). New models continue
to be launched in
the ever-expanding
crossover SUV market.
Based on creating a
“Robust Accurate Vehicle
with 4 Wheel Drive,”
the new RAV4 development
concept blends the
power and sophistication
of an SUV, achieving
top-class generous rear
cargo space and outstanding
driving performance
realized by a new
4WD system.
Porsche to
invest 15bn
Euro in new
products
SUCCESS in a time of
transformation:
In the 2018 financial year,
Porsche AG achieved new
records for operating profit,
sales revenue, deliveries
and headcount. The
company’s operating profit
grew by around four per
cent compared with the
same period in the previous
year, reaching €4.3 billion,
and sales revenue
increased by 10 per cent to
€25.8 billion. The operating
return on sales was 16.6 per
cent. In 2018, the company
delivered 256,255 vehicles
to customers, representing
a four per cent increase on
the previous year.
“In the 2018 financial
year, our attractive product
range enabled us to once
again significantly increase
deliveries. Porsche is
synonymous with
emotional petrol engines
and high-performance
plug-in hybrids; in the
future, it will be just known
as well for pure electric
drive systems,” comments
Oliver Blume, Chairman of
the Executive Board of
Porsche AG. Porsche will be
investing around €15 billion
in new products in the
period up to 2023.