BERLIN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Deutsche Post DHL Group saw its annual earnings figures boosted by good results from their e-commerce and parcel delivery services in 2017 on Wednesday.
Narrowly meeting the ambitious target set by chief executive officer Frank Appel, Deutsche Post recorded a rise in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by 7.2 percent to 3.74 billion euros (4.64 billion U.S. dollars).
Speaking at the company's headquarters in Bonn, Appel told press the company had "registered another very good year" in 2017, marking "another major step on the road to achieving our strategic and financial goals for 2020".
Appel emphasized that the company owed much of its strong financial performance in the past year to its international focus and firm orientation to the fast-growing e-commerce market.
Questioned on whether competitors such as Amazon posed a threat to the corporate growth strategy, the CEO insisted that logistics have always "profited from another and will continue to do so".
However, Appel was less upbeat on the prospect of a trade war unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump which he argued would lead to a lose-lose outcome.
The CEO said the next goal for Deutsche Post's EBIT in 2018 was 4.15 billion euros and predicted a gradual rise to more than five billion euros by 2020.
In light of the potential diesel bans by municipal authorities, German media was also particularly interested in Deutsche Post plans to branch out into automotive production with the launch of an electric van called "StreetScooter".
The second production facility for the electric vehicle is scheduled to start running in the second half of 2018 and the company expects to produce between 10,000 and 15,000 vehicles by the end of the year.
Board member Juergen Gerdes expressed optimism that the firm would be able to "adjust rapidly" in reaction to possible driving bans in cities.
