Brussels,  4  December  2009  -  The  Board  of  Directors  of  ACEA, the

Brussels-based   European   Automobile  Manufacturers’  Association,  has

elected  Dieter Zetsche as its new President. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of

the  Board  of  Daimler  AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division, will

take  over  from  Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault, on 1 January

2010.

“The  European  automobile  industry is confident to emerge stronger from

the  financial and economic crisis and has defined sustainable mobility a

clear  priority  for  the  near as well as long-term future”, said Dieter

Zetsche,  following  his election by the ACEA Board. “To this respect, we

would  welcome  a positive and constructive outcome of Copenhagen”, added

Zetsche,  referring  to the UN conference on climate change starting next

week.  “Our  industry  is  a  major  contributor to finding and deploying

solutions  in this field. Copenhagen could send the important signal that

partnership is key; partnership between industries, governments, academia

and consumers.”

Apart   from   countering  the  extraordinary  economic  woes,  the  ACEA

priorities   for   2010   remain   confined  in  four  major  categories:

contributing  to  sustainable  mobility, further progress in road safety,

improving   the   regulatory  framework,  and  enhancing  competitiveness

including   progress   in   trade   liberalisation.  “Through  our  trade

association  ACEA,  we  will  continue  to  seek a deep dialogue with all

stakeholders  at  EU  level”,  said  Zetsche. “We look forward to working

closely  with  the newly elected European Parliament and the new European

Commission  in  order  to help maintain a thriving automobile industry in

Europe and strengthen our global technology leadership.”

“Despite  the  challenges  facing  the entire industry, the European car

manufacturers  have  focused  on  strengthening their competitiveness and

investing  in  the  technologies  necessary  for the future of mobility”,

added  Carlos  Ghosn,  reflecting  on his term as President over the past

twelve months. “In both areas, governments and regulators play a decisive

role  in  setting  a  predictable  and  stable operating environment. Our

industry   is   changing  faster  than  at  anytime  in  history,  and  a

collaborative framework is vital for our mutual success.”

About Dieter Zetsche:

Dieter Zetsche has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG

since  December  1998 and is Chairman since January 2006. He is also Head

of  Mercedes-Benz  Cars  Division  which  includes the brands Maybach and

Smart  as  well as AMG and McLaren.  Zetsche, born in Istanbul, graduated

as  an  engineer from the University of Karlsruhe in 1976 and completed a

doctorate  at  the  University  of  Paderborn  in  1982.  Zetsche  joined

Daimler-Benz  AG  in  1976  at  the  research  department  in  Stuttgart.

Subsequent  positions  took  him  to  both  the  commercial  vehicle  and

passenger  car  divisions of the company and entailed postings in Brazil,

Argentina and the United States of America.

About ACEA:

The  European  Automobile  Manufacturers  Association  (ACEA), founded in

1991, represents the interests of the fifteen European car, truck and bus

manufacturers  at  EU  level. The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks,

Daimler,  FIAT, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land Rover,

MAN  Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Scania, Toyota

Motor  Europe,  Volkswagen  and  Volvo. They provide direct employment to

more  than  2.3  million  people  and  support another 10 million jobs in

related  sectors.  Annually, ACEA members invest over €20 billion in R&D,

which makes them the largest private investors in R&D in Europe.

For further information, please contact Sigrid de Vries, Director

Communications,

ACEA   +32 2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be Please also visit www.acea.be