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Good morning everyone here in Frankfurt and everyone else who is following us and watching. Great to have you with us on this very special day. First, I would like to thank Deutsche Boerse for hosting this event today. And, as we are enjoying this historic moment, I would like to tell our entire Daimler Truck team: I am very proud to see our vehicles, brands and logos here today. And I am extremely proud to represent all of you today. More than 100,000 fantastic people around the globe. The greatest team I could imagine!

Today we are completing our spin-off. We are becoming a publicly listed company. This is a big step, because it means two things: independence and responsibility.

Independence and responsibility – that is what truckers love about their job when they hit the road with their vehicles anywhere in the world. And at Daimler Truck we love that as well: The independence to take the future into our own hands. And the responsibility that comes with that independence. The responsibility to our employees, customers, shareholders and society.

So, I can truly say: I have never been in this great building before, but it feels like coming home. We have arrived at just the right place. By becoming an independent global company, we are making exactly the right move. And it is a privilege and an honor to do so on this famous trading floor.

Let’s now look back for a second. Let’s look at our amazing journey to get here. And I don’t mean my drive from Stuttgart. That was quick and easy. The real journey was to make our company ready for today’s spin-off. And that journey meant a truck load of work: IT systems and processes had to be split; organizational and legal topics had to be solved.

So, the past weeks and months were really intense for everyone in our company. And I am well aware of that. I therefore want to thank our entire Daimler Truck team. You have been working on this spin-off like you work on our products: with tremendous dedication, energy and attention to detail. You are delivering as promised!

Today’s listing event now marks the end of this journey. And, at the same time, it is the beginning of an even greater one. Because we now want to take full advantage of our independence. We now can unlock our full potential. We want to lead the race to zero emission. And we want to do this with a consistent high profitability.

We have what it takes to meet those ambitions: strong teams, products and market positions all around the globe. Plus, we have a real strong balance sheet. Quite important in the current volatile environment. Our German securities identification number says it best. If you pronounce the zero as an “o” it is DT ROCK. And that is exactly what we are: a rock solid company that is ready to rock the markets.

After 125 years of company history we restart as an independent entity. We are fully ready for our new journey. And we can’t wait to show to the world what we are capable of. With that I am looking forward to ringing the bell – and we will do so in the Daimler Truck way.

Thank you very much.