Mercedes-Benz’s works council chief, Ergun Lümali, has called for urgent action to regain market share and rethink the company’s China strategy to ensure annual sales do not fall below 2 million units, a threshold he deemed “unacceptable” for sustaining German production capacity. Speaking amid growing tension between management and labor representatives over how to counter cheaper Chinese competition, Lümali criticized the long-term reliance on reduced sales targets, emphasizing the need for new growth strategies. Mercedes-Benz sold 1.46 million cars in the first nine months of 2024, a 4.3% decline YoY.