Daimler CEO says meeting 2021 emissions targets will be significant challenge

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Cutting average emissions from the Mercedes-Benz passenger car fleet to meet the European Union's 2021 target is going to be a significant challenge, Daimler <DAIGn.DE> Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius said on Tuesday.

"We have all the right vehicles on offer to reach those targets. Having said that, we cannot mandate what the customer buys. The 2021 targets are a significant challenge," Kaellenius said.

Customers are still opting to buy Mercedes sports utility vehicles (SUVs), which now amount to around a third of total sales. The trend toward increased sales of SUVs has not changed over the past 25 years, Kaellenius said.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Tassilo Hummel)