Daimler, BAIC to invest $735 million in electric vehicles in China

[July 05, 2017]  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Daimler and its Chinese joint venture partner BAIC Motor Corporation have agreed to jointly invest 5 billion yuan ($735 million) in battery electric vehicle production in China by 2020 and to provide the infrastructure needed.

Of that investment, a three-digit million euro sum is to be invested in a new battery factory to be built in China by joint venture Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBAC), Daimler said in a statement on Wednesday.

"By 2025, the Chinese market will have a substantial share in global sales of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles," management board member Hubertus Troska said.

Daimler and BAIC signed a framework agreement last month to upgrade production facilities at BBAC to make New Energy Vehicles, a label for so-called low-emission vehicles which include hybrid and pure battery electric cars.

(Reporting by Niamh Melvin; Editing by Maria Sheahan)

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