Klaus Maier, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd, delivers a keynote speech.

Editor's note: Klaus Maier, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd, spoke with China Daily about the luxury carmaker's new Carl Benz Academy:

Q: What is Mercedes-Benz's current perspective on the China auto market?

A: The market in China grew by around 9 percent in the first 10 months, while Mercedes-Benz had sales of more than 156,600 units and grew by 36 percent. This clearly shows we have grown faster than the overall market and are continuing the success we have seen over the past few years. We are confident we will outpace the overall market growth in the coming years. We have opened about 20 to 25 dealership every year in China, and will accelerate that with 30 to 35 annually in the future, hiring thousands of new employees.

Q: What are the characteristics of the Carl Benz Academy?

A: Pioneering - opening the program focused exclusively on the auto industry at an MBA level.

Innovation - innovative training methods, with classroom plus distance learning. The students will also visit Germany and the US for a hands-on look at the best dealerships, manufacturing facilities and research in Germany, and car auctions in the US.

Vision - visionary in providing broader relationships, marketing and leadership skills to prepare for a more challenging future as we rapidly expand.

Q: How did you select your partners in the academy?

A: We have three universities from the largest auto markets in the world - China, the United States and Germany - so we are getting the best of all worlds.

Peking University is prestigious and has a lot of business experience, the Free University of Berlin specializes in distance learning and innovative learning styles, and we've been working with Woodbury University in the US, which specializes in luxury branding and market research, so this is a great combination.

Through collaboration with five dealer groups in China we bring in a lot of auto knowledge about dealerships. We'll also be bringing actual case studies into the course.

Q: How important is the academy to Mercedes-Benz in China?

A: The Carl Benz Academy provides the first program with an international scope focused on the automotive industry. Globally we have the biggest training organization right here in China - with 22,000 employees in dealerships now and we'll be expanding this to 80,000. All employees get management and sales training but we also need more specialized training for our most talented people in financing, the used-car business and after-sales services that meet worldwide standards. We're also providing our experience of expansion in the US into the course in areas such as used-car sales.

Q: What is the objective of the program?

A: We want to give the opportunity to the best people in our dealerships through this course. We will be facing a challenging market. In addition to sales and after-sales skills, these people need special managerial skills to prepare them for the future. This highly trained talent will give us a competitive advantage. We will also be furthering the cause of education in China, an important part of our commitment to the country.