Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) will officially split from Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) on December 1, mirroring an amicable global divorce between the German truck and car manufacturers

The two manufacturers will, however, continue to share the three-pointed star, with Mercedes-Benz to remain a brand within both companies.

DTBSA will remain a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck in Germany.

DTBSA CEO Michael Dietz says the move gives Daimler Truck “full entrepreneurial freedom” and the opportunity for “ultimate customer dedication”, while it will also “unlock the potential of Daimler Truck”.

DTBSA will have its own new, dedicated financing arm, Daimler Truck Financial Services South Africa, spun off from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services South Africa.

DTBSA will also move from the MBSA Zwartkop campus onto its own new sales and marketing premises in Centurion in the second half of next year.

The TruckStore used-truck facility remains where it is in Centurion.

DTBSA will, over time, also develop its own retail network, says Dietz.

The truck maker’s truck and bus assembly plant in East London, located on a shared campus with MBSA’s C-Class plant, will largely continue as is currently the case, with DTBSA to develop its own inbound and outbound logistics chains.

The brands within DTBSA also remain the same as is the case now: Fuso, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Buses, and Unimog.

Up to R1-billion has been made available to ensure continuity in operation, adequate resources and suitable working infrastructure for the DTBSA business, says DTBSA CFO Peter Kendzorra.

He says the ‘new’ DTBSA has the ambition to sell more than 5 000 units by 2023, a number that would exceed pre-Covid-19 levels.

This is up from the about 4 000 units expected to be retailed in 2021, and the 3 335 units sold in 2020.

Kendzorra expects DTBSA to achieve record revenue of R8-billion this year.

The company currently employs 800 people in South Africa, with about 50 people to be added to this number as the company establishes its own independent footprint in South Africa.