Gasgoo.com (Shanghai December 21) - Sino-German Beijing Benz has set its sights overseas, with the joint venture holding a ceremony in Beijing yesterday for its first official export, the E-Class, chinanews.com reported today.

The exported E-Class marks a new turning point for the JV, who has seen domestic demand for its models grow dramatically over the past few years. Beijing Benz's sales for the first 11 months of this year were 52 percent higher than last year.

Beijing Benz President Frank Deiss said that he hopes the E-Class will help Beijing Benz break into overseas markets. Foreign sales would bring in new interest to the JV, which would benefit both Chinese parent BAIC and Beijing's automobile industry as a whole.

Xu Heyi (pictured below, left), board chairman of BAIC Group, also remarked on the significance of the event. Mr. Xu said that he hoped to see more cooperation between BAIC and its German partner in the future.