Daimler sold 2.1 million vehicles in a difficult environment in 2008 (2007: 2.1 million vehicles). Revenue decreased by 4% to €95.9 billion, operating profit (EBIT) was down to €2.7 billion (2007: €8.7 billion) and net profit fell to €1.4 billion (2007: €4.0 billion). The main reasons for the lower earnings were not only the dramatic effects on automotive markets of the worldwide financial and economic crisis, but also the very high level of raw-material prices on average over the year, weak currencies and charges relating to Chrysler. In order to improve our earnings situation once again, we continued and intensified our efficiency-enhancing actions. The year 2009 will also be extremely difficult for Daimler, but we have a good starting position due to our efforts in recent years: Daimler has strong brands, exciting products, the right technologies and a sound financial basis. These are the best preconditions for us to successfully meet the challenges ahead.