FRANKFURT, Sept 20 (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler AG said on Friday it would take a 43 percent stake in Japanese partner's Mitsubishi Motors Corp's spun-off Fuso trucks unit for 760 million euros ($747 million).
The company also said it would exercise an option to buy 50 percent of the spun-off trucks unit of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co by the end of the year for 400 million euros. The deals represent a further step in the German group's strategy of boosting its presence on the important Asian commercial vehicles market and will enable it to cut costs on expensive engine production. DaimlerChrysler, the world's biggest truckmaker, already owns 37 percent of Mitsubishi, Japan's number four carmaker and holds a minority stake in Hyundai.