Daimler To Produce 10,000 Electric Cars By 2012

Stuttgart, Germany (AHN) - Mercedes Benz manufacturer Daimler will go ahead with plans to produce 10,000 electric-powered vehicles by 2012, according to Thomas Weber, director for research and development at Daimler.

To push through with the environment-friendly venture, Daimler is heavily supporting its research on fuel cells, which would lead to the use of lithium ion batteries on Smart micro cars, Smart two-seaters and Mercedes A series.

The new technology is ideal for 80 percent of Daimler's European buyers who drive their vehicles an averages of 31 miles (50 kilometers) or less a day.

Because of the high demand for Daimler's fuel efficient two-seater Smart, the German car maker reported last week a 7 percent rise in its January to July sales, bucking global trend of auto sales slump.

For the first seven months of 2008, Daimler sold 773,200 cards, up from 721,400 bought for the same period in 2007. Mercedes Benzes remain the car firm's top-selling model.