2020.

At the beginning of the year, probably no one had expected things to turn out this way. The global pandemic had a considerable impact on society, politics, and the world economy, and thus also on Daimler. Daimler does everything it can to contain the spread of coronavirus. The health and safety of employees is a major priority. The company has therefore taken far-reaching precautions to protect against infection and has agreed and implemented a comprehensive package of measures with the General Works Council. In addition, the company relies on mobile working wherever possible.

A quarter of a century on the market with an unchanged name and more than three million units sold: the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a true brand in its own right and has been the trailblazer in its vehicle category since its introduction in 1995. Time and again, it sets new standards - especially in terms of safety, ergonomics, efficiency and comfort.

Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announce in January the formal establishment of the globally oriented joint venture smart Automobile Co., Ltd. for the smart brand. This will be followed in the summer by the establishment of "smart Europe GmbH" as a wholly owned subsidiary of the joint venture to manage sales, marketing and after-sales in the European market.

Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG present their new products live on the media portal Mercedes me media . The digital press conference focuses on the world premiere of the comprehensively updated E-Class with numerous model variants. These include plug-in hybrids and an AMG version.

The coronavirus pandemic means that the Annual Meeting of Daimler AG cannot take place on April 1, 2020 as planned. It is postponed to July 8 and then takes place virtually for the first time in the company's history. As many as 12,000 people follow the shareholders' meeting on the Internet.

The eCitaro G expands the Mercedes-Benz portfolio of battery-electric buses. With this all-electric articulated bus, the company introduces additional technologies for use in public transportation. The vehicle will be available with different battery technologies, including solid-state batteries, which are being introduced in this bus segment for the first time.

Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA, the world leader in GPU-accelerated computing, intend to cooperate on the development of an in-vehicle computing system and AI computing infrastructure. Starting in 2024, the new technology will be rolled out across all Mercedes-Benz model series to equip next-generation vehicles with upgradeable automated driving functions. The aim of the planned collaboration is to develop one of the most intelligent and advanced computer architectures in the automotive industry for all Mercedes-Benz model series.

Factory 56 in Sindelfingen embodies the future of production at Mercedes-Benz. The production system is designed to accommodate different vehicle models and production volumes while integrating various material flows. As part of Ambition 2039, the company is working to reduce CO₂ emissions and energy consumption in its manufacturing operations. According to the company, efficiency at Factory 56 is 25 percent higher than at the previous S-Class assembly line. New technologies and processes support employees in their day-to-day production activities.

In September, the new S-Class celebrates its world premiere - digitally, of course. The most important innovations include the second generation of MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience), rear-axle steering and the E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL suspension. The S-Class epitomizes the fascination of Mercedes-Benz: its legendary and traditional engineering defines the automobile industry’s luxury segment. In November, the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class sees the light of day. It combines the perfection and high-tech solutions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with the exclusivity and tradition of Maybach.

US regulators have agreed to a settlement of civil and environmental claims. This will bring a comprehensive end to the relevant regulatory proceedings in connection with emission control systems on around 250,000 diesel vehicles in the USA.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing its “Electric First” strategy and is establishing strategic partnerships with two battery cell manufacturers. The agreements include the supply of battery cells that, according to the partners, are produced using measures aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions during manufacturing. Production of these battery cells was scheduled to begin in 2021, initially for use in the EQS.

With the 'GenH2 Truck' concept truck, Daimler Trucks shows which specific technologies the manufacturer is pressing determinedly forward with as a means of enabling heavy-duty fuel-cell trucks to perform flexible and demanding long-haul operations with ranges of up to 1000 kilometers and more on a single tank of fuel. The vehicle's performance is expected to be on a par with that of a comparable conventional diesel truck thanks to the use of liquid hydrogen instead of gaseous hydrogen, due to the former's significantly higher energy density.

The new Mercedes-Benz strategy is presented in a virtual conference for investors and analysts. This strategy comprises six pillars and aims to lead the company to new technological and financial strength.

• Thinking and acting as a luxury brand
• Focus on profitable growth
• Expanding the customer base through the expansion of our sub-brands
• Stepping up customer retention and increasing recurring revenues
• Leadership in electric mobility and vehicle software
• Lowering the cost base and improving the industrial footprint

With the issuance of its first green bond, Daimler expanded its financing activities in support of technologies and services related to its strategic transformation. The euro-denominated benchmark bond was more than four times oversubscribed based on investor demand. The bond was issued under the Daimler Green Finance Framework and received a “Dark Green” rating from the independent assessment organization CICERO.. The framework also included criteria for financing battery cells produced by suppliers using measures aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions during manufacturing.

The Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG sign a binding agreement to establish a joint venture. The aim is to develop, produce and market fuel-cell systems to production maturity. The focus is on use in heavy-duty trucks, but the systems are also to be offered for other applications.

Daimler Trucks and Waymo enter into a comprehensive, globally oriented strategic partnership in autonomous driving (SAE Level 4). To kick off the collaboration, the partners combine Waymo's leading technology in autonomous driving with a variant of Daimler's Freightliner Cascadia truck model developed specifically for this purpose.

With 246,805 visitors, the Mercedes-Benz Museum  recorded a 71 percent drop in visitors compared to the previous year (2019: 850,954 visitors). It was closed for a total of 16 weeks, and there was also only a brief partial opening from May to August. The museum therefore strengthens its digital formats to enter 2021 with new ideas and a positive attitude.