Mercedes-Benz SAâs spin-off of Daimler to foster value creation By Edward West Share JOHANNESBURG - MERCEDES-Benz South Africaâs (MBSAâs) spin-off of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) to Daimler Truck AG, a subsidiary of Daimler AG, MBSAâs ultimate parent company, comes at a bleak time for the heavy commercial vehicle business. The effective date of the transaction was January 1, 2021. The decision was taken in response to a board and supervisory board strategy by the parent in July 2018, where a plan to simplify the group structure was adopted. Daimler Truck AG was selling almost 500 000 vehicles globally a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, but heavy commercial vehicle sales have plunged worldwide since then.