DaimlerChrysler Sales Up 13%

PARIS — When all the numbers are in, DaimlerChrysler expects sales in 1998 to increase by 15% to $148 billion, helped by a record-breaking performance by its commercial vehicles division.

According to DaimlerChrysler, the past year has been the busiest ever for heavy truck and bus sales, with more than 480,000 units sold and revenue climbing to about $25.5 billion.

"This performance consolidated the company’s global market leadership in trucks above six tons GVW and buses over eight tons," the company said. "With the Mercedes Benz, Freightliner, Sterling (truck brands) . . . commercial vehicles became a major profit center in the new DaimlerChrysler group in 1998."

Chrysler Corp., which merged with Germany’s Daimler-Benz in November, had record sales of about $65 billion in 1998, according to the company's estimates. Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz car division had sales of about $34 billion.

Eckhardt Zanger, a DaimlerChyrsler spokesman said negotiations to buy an equity stake in Japan’s third largest truck builder, Nissan Diesel, are continuing. The company earlier had said it expected to complete the talks by year’s end. "It’s going to take longer than we thought to reach a decision," he said.

Mr. Zanger denied rumors that DaimlerChrysler is considering buying carmaker Nissan Motor, part-owner of Nissan Diesel. "Our interest lies only with commercial vehicles," he said.

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