SECTION A $[40$ MARKS$]$

Read the article below and answer ALL the questions that follow.

Mercedes$-$Benz To Expand South African Plant

German manufacturer Mercedes$-$Benz Cars is to spend $600$m $($$$697$m$)$ on the assembly of the next generation of C$-$Class

models at its plant in East London, South Africa. Factory space for passenger vehicle production will increase by two$-$thirds

and include new logistic warehouses, paint and body shops and an upgrade of the assembly shop with the addition of three

lines. The new body shop is being designed for higher capacities and features more than $500$ Internet of Things$-$ready robots

laying the foundation for Industry $4\mathrm{.}0,$ the company said. By utilising new methods, the paint shop will be more energy

efficient and environmentally friendly, it added. With other planned initiatives, Mercedes$-$Benz expects the plant$$s overall

energy consumption will be reduced by $25\%$ per vehicle. The investment coincides with the $60$th anniversary of Mercedes$-$

Benz passenger vehicle production starting at East London. Markus Sch$$fer$,$ who is in charge of production and supply chain

on Mercedes$-$Benz Cars$$ divisional board, commented: $$The investment is also a sign of our commitment to South Africa and

efforts to revive economic growth.$$ The capital expenditure and expansion were made public during a visit by South Africa$$s

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said: $$The announcement by Mercedes$-$Benz Carsto inject $10$ billion

Rand in the South African economy signals the momentum we are making to realise the target of raising $1\mathrm{.}2$ trillion Rand in

new investment.$$ The C$-$Class sedans produced at the $3,300-$employee plant are exported to right$-$hand and left$-$hand drive

markets. The East London factory also produces Mercedes$-$Benz trucks and buses as well as Fuso brand trucks. The year

$2018$ marks the sixtieth anniversary of Mercedes$-$Benz passenger vehicle production at the East London plant. Over the

years, the plant has evolved as a significant contributor to South Africa$$s trade balance and an economic multiplier for East

London. Furthermore, the plant actively commits to the community of East London and the Eastern Cape. One example is the

Mercedes$-$Benz Learning Academy $($MBLA$)-$ a flagship and sustainable Public Private Partnership in cooperation with the

National Treasury and the Jobs Fund, demonstrates the commitment of Mercedes$-$Benz South Africa to empowerment and youth development in the automotive manufacturing sector. Since $2004,$ MBLA has offered world$-$class quality training and transferrable skills, qualifying hundreds of skilled artisans in the Eastern Cape.

Answer ALL the questions in this section.

QUESTION $1(20$ Marks$)$

You are the Marketing Manager for Mercedes Benz. How would you position the company, considering the facts presented in

the article above?