DaimlerChrysler Financial Services now offering car loans in Greece

Berlin / Athens, Jaunary 17, 2007 – DaimlerChrysler Bank Greece officially opened on January 16, 2007, in Athens. The company, which was established as a branch of DaimlerChrysler Bank Polska S.A., offers loans to private and commercial customers for purchases of new and pre-owned DaimlerChrysler brand vehicles. Services include both traditional financing packages and three-way financing plans, and customers also have the option of including vehicle insurance policies in their monthly rates. Consequently, DaimlerChrysler dealers in Greece can now offer their customers an even broader range of financial services than before.

DaimlerChrysler's Financial Services division has been successfully supporting sales of Mercedes-Benz, smart, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Setra vehicles in Greece since 2001 through the activities of its Greek subsidiary, DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Hellas AE. The company, which offers lease-purchase programs, leasing packages and dealership financing services, currently employs 21 people and has a financing portfolio of more than 4,000 contracts with a volume of €72 million. "The establishment of this

branch bank allows us to expand our product portfolio in Greece, and in particular to target private customers who prefer to finance their vehicles," said Jürgen Walker, CEO of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, at the event marking the opening of the bank.

The bank will now be able to exploit market opportunities more effectively by adding car loans to the product range. "Our new financial services products will enable us to attract more private customers as well," said Vassilis Joakimidis, the new director of DaimlerChrysler Bank’s branch in Greece. The country is an attractive growth market for DaimlerChrysler Financial Services, as some 60 percent of all DaimlerChrysler vehicles on the road there are already being financed or leased by customers. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services currently has a 25 percent share of that business and expects to double that to 50 percent over the medium term.

DaimlerChrysler Financial Services established the Greek branch on the basis of the DaimlerChrysler Bank Polska, which by virtue of its size, business processes and product range is similar to the structure of the financial services activities in Greece. DaimlerChrysler Bank Polska S.A. is based in Warsaw and manages a contract volume of approximately €300 million.

DaimlerChrysler Financial Services AG (Berlin) is the international financial services provider of the DaimlerChrysler Group. The company, which has nearly 11,000 employees and subsidiaries in more than 40 countries, finances or leases more than one out of every three vehicles produced by DaimlerChrysler around the globe, and has a total contract volume of about €114 billion. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is active in 21 countries in Europe, where it manages a portfolio in excess of €26 billion.