Partnership, Northern Benz makes heavy trucks.

In early 1978, the central government approved a plan to introduce heavy-duty vehicle technology from abroad to transform China's automobile industry. In April, the China Automobile Industry Examination Delegation, with the Automobile Bureau of the First Ministry of Machinery as the backbone and various automobile companies as the supplement, led by Yang Keng, Vice Minister of the First Ministry of Machinery, went to the Federal Republic of Germany, the originator of the automobile industry, for an inspection.

During a month, the inspection team inspected the four major models of the Federal German automobile industry: Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Volkswagen and Deutz, and went deep into the first factories of these four companies. , technology research and development center, test track and other facilities were carefully inspected. This also laid the foundation for the establishment of China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Corporation in the future.

In mid-June 1978, the Automobile Bureau of the First Ministry of Machinery submitted several work reports to the central government based on the results of this inspection and in conjunction with relevant domestic departments. Among them, "On the Construction of Mercedes-Benz Heavy-Duty Vehicles in the Federal Republic of Germany" "Report of the Heavy Duty Truck Factory", the First Machinery Department proposed to introduce the NG-80 series produced by Mercedes-Benz Company, with 17 basic models in five levels of load capacity: 9 tons, 11.5 tons, 14 tons, 16 tons, and 21 tons. On September 27, 1988, as all conditions matured, the leaders of China and Germany attended the signing ceremony of the Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty vehicle introduction project between China and Germany's Daimler-Benz AG held in the Great Hall of the People. This also marked the birth of Northern Benz Automobile Co., Ltd.

Extended information:

After its establishment, Northern Benz did not achieve the expected sales results. On the one hand, due to the limited demand for high-end heavy trucks in the domestic market; on the other hand, Northern Benz, which has fully introduced Mercedes-Benz technology, has a low localization rate and relatively high product prices, and has not been accepted by the market. In 2006, Daimler sued Northern Benz, pointing out that after the expiration of the license agreement related to technology transfer, Northern Benz still used the word "Benz" in its company name and product names, infringing its registered trademark rights and constituting unfair practices. competition, requiring Northern Benz to stop using the word "Benz" in product promotion and trademark registration, and claim 100,000 yuan in economic compensation.

In the end, the two parties reached an agreement, and Northern Benz no longer used the word "Benz" and changed its corporate name. At this point, Northern Benz officially changed its name to Beiben Heavy Duty Truck.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Northern Benz