Daimler excels in anniversary year 2011: Group EBIT from ongoing business up by 24% to record level of €9 billion

• Group EBIT reaches best-ever level of €6.0 billion (2010: €4.7 billion)

• Group revenue also sets record of €106.5 billion (2010: €97.8 billion)

• Mercedes-Benz Cars achieves new peaks for unit sales, revenue and EBIT

• Daimler Trucks significantly improves its unit sales, revenue and earnings

• Higher dividend proposed of €2.20 per share (prior year: €1.85)

• Outlook 2012: target of Group EBIT from ongoing business in the magnitude of the prior year

Daimler AG (stock-exchange symbol DAI) today presented its preliminary and unaudited earnings figures for the Group and the divisions in the year 2011.

Daimler increased its Group EBIT from the ongoing business by 24% to €8,977 million in 2011 (2010: €7,212 million). Including special factors, Group EBIT rose by 20% to €8,755 million (2010: €7,274 million). Both EBIT figures are new records.

Net profit also reached a record figure of €6,029 million (2010: €4,674 million) and earnings per share amounted to €5.32 (2010: €4.28).

Overall, Daimler was able to set several records simultaneously in the anniversary year, "125! years inventor of the automobile."
"The Group achieved its best-ever results in 2011 for unit sales, revenue, EBIT and net profit. All of our divisions contributed to this success," stated Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Above all, Mercedes-Benz Cars also set new records for sales, revenue and EBIT. In its long corporate history, the car division has never performed better than in 2011.

"In total, we made the anniversary year also into a year of success for Daimler. This performance shows that with its strong portfolio of cars, trucks, vans, buses and financial services, the Group is strategically very well positioned. We are now putting all of our efforts into continuing this success and achieving our targeted rates of return on a sustained basis as of the year 2013," emphasized Zetsche.

Financial year 2011

The excellent earnings for the year 2011 primarily reflect the very good situation of unit sales in the divisions. In 2011, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks and Mercedes-Benz Vans significantly increased their unit sales compared with the prior year in the major regions. Daimler Financial Services profited in particular from the lower cost of risk.

Special factors connected with the natural disaster in Japan resulted in total charges for the Group of €80 million. Insurance compensation has been taken into consideration in calculating this figure. Charges were also recognized from the impairment of Daimler's equity interests in Renault (€110 million) and Kamaz (€32 million).

The special items affecting earnings in the years 2011 and 2010 are listed in the table on page 13 and in the individual divisions.

Daimler sold a total of 2.1 million vehicles in 2011, surpassing the prior-year figure by 11%. All of the automotive divisions contributed to the increase. Group revenue increased by 9% to €106.5 billion; adjusted for exchange-rate effects, there was an increase of 10%.

The net liquidity of the industrial business amounted to €12.0 billion at December 31, 2011 (2010: €11.9 billion).

The generally positive business development led to an increase in the number of persons employed worldwide to 271,370 as of December 31. This was 11,270 more than at the end of 2010. In Germany, the number of employees increased to 167,684 (2010: 164,026).

Due to Daimler's success in 2011, the Board of Management and the General Works Council have agreed that the workforce's performance will again be rewarded with a high performance participation bonus: In Germany, each eligible employee of Daimler AG will receive an amount of €4,100 (2011: €3,150) at the end of April 2012.

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