German car manufacturer Daimler made a record profit in 2011, of EUR 6 million, up from EUR 4.6 billion the year before. The year brought the producer the highest sales in the history of the 125-year old group: EUR 106.5 billion. These results will fuel shareholder dividends of EUR 2.2 per each share, up from EUR 1.85 the year before. Its 'eligible' employees in Germany will also have reason to rejoice: they will receive a EUR 4,000 bonus in April this year, for the 2011 performance. The group employs 271,000 people worldwide, out of whom 167,000 are in Germany, which brings potential employee bonuses to EUR 668 million. The group neglects to reveal what qualifies an employee as 'eligible,' other than being in Germany, and it is unclear whether all employees will receive this bonus. Last year's bonus for 2010's activity was EUR 3,150.

“The Group achieved its best-ever results in 2011 for unit sales, revenue, EBIT and net profit. All of our divisions contributed to this success,” stated Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Mercedes-Benz Cars also set new records for sales, revenue and EBIT. “In its long corporate history, the car division has never performed better than in 2011,” writes Daimler's financial report.

The company invested EUR 5.6 billion in research and development in 2011, EUR 3.7 billion alone at Mercedes-Benz-Cars. Investment in property, plant and equipment amounted to EUR 4.2 billion, of which EUR 2.7 billion was invested in Germany.

Mercedes-Benz-Cars, with 12 plants in Europe, sold 1.3 million vehicles, reaching sales of EUR 57 billion. Daimler Trucks sold 425,000 units and made a revenue of EUR 28.8 billion.

The full financial report here.

editor@romania-insider.com