Porsche, Daimler Start Exporting Cars to China Via State Railway

XU WEI

(Yicai Global) May 6 — German auto giants Porsche and Daimler have started exporting finished vehicles to China through state-owned China Railway Express.

Stuttgart-based Porsche has been shipping cars from Hafen, Bremen to central Chongqing municipality since last month, state-backed Chinese News Service reported.

CRE runs a freight train service for intermodal containers between China and Europe as well as countries along the Belt and Road regions. The service can expand access to the Chinese market for the carmakers.

China is the single largest market for Porsche, making up close to one-third of all deliveries last year. Compared with transporting finished vehicles to Chinese cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin by ship, transporting via train can save up to three weeks.

The company, which traditionally relies on railways for European logistics, can now expand its model to inter-continental freight between Europe and Asia, the firm said.

Customers in southwest China can get Porsche’s vehicles much faster now, according to Oliver Blonde, the head of Porsche’s logistics and production management and control. CRE ships around 11 percent of Porsche’s new sports cars for the China market.

Daimler has launched a pilot scheme with CRE for the shipment of its own vehicles to China via rail.

Editor: William Clegg