March 2013 marks record-breaking best-ever month and biggest quarter for Mercedes-Benz UK

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- Biggest month ever, at 18,655 new car registrations, up 15.4 per cent
- Biggest quarter ever, 28,698 new cars registered, an increase of 13.2 per cent
- Mercedes-Benz continues to be the fastest-growing premium brand
- Record monthly and year to date (YTD) market share of 4.7 per cent
- Record month for C-Class Coupé, CLS four-door Coupé, G-Class
- AMG registrations up 89.6 per cent YTD
- Registrations to private buyers increase 16.3 per cent YTD
- Vans record a strong March, with registrations up 3.8 per cent
- 199 Citans registered in the first full month of customer sales

Mercedes-Benz UK and its dealer network have achieved their best-ever record-breaking registration performance, according to figures released today by SMMT. March 2013 was the most successful in the company’s history, with 18,655 new cars being registered. This is an increase of 15.4 per cent over March 2012.

March topped a record-breaking quarter for the company, as 28,698 new cars were registered in Q1, which was 13.2 per cent more than the first three months of last year. The quarterly result eclipses the previous record, set at the end of 2012, by 2700 cars.

The stellar results mean that Mercedes-Benz continues to be the UK’s fastest-growing premium manufacturer, and in a buoyant overall new car market, recorded its best-ever month and year to date market share of 4.7 per cent. Likewise, registrations to retail customers were up 16.3 per cent.

The registration boost was reflected across the range, with sustainable levels of growth in all segments. The C-Class achieved 10th place in the overall registration figures for the UK in March and ninth place for Q1. Registrations, meanwhile, were up in all sectors. The CLS Coupé, for example, reported 1301 registrations – a record for March and for Q1.

High-performance purchases were up too, as AMG registrations increased by 89.6 per cent for the YTD. So far this year, 747 new AMGs have been registered, including 27 G 63 AMGs; marking an overall YTD AMG increase of 89.6 per cent.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO Mercedes-Benz UK, explained the results: “More new and returning customers than ever before are choosing to drive a Mercedes-Benz, and that’s great news for them, and the thousands of dedicated people we’ve got all over the country who work so hard to achieve these extraordinary results. Everybody’s hard work and effort is paying off. Making our attractive, exciting, affordable premium cars appeal to ever-more people is our mission and it’s a mission we’re continuing to meet head-on.

“Today’s results also show that we’re not dependent on one or two models to bolster the bulk of our sales volumes – we’re selling more cars to more people across the entire range. AMG appropriately continues to charge ahead, as does every vehicle in our portfolio that we’re volume-controlling by either its graduated introduction or phased run-out.”

Marcus Breitschwerdt continued: “We don’t take any of this success for granted, and are using the momentum of our new car registration results to continue to offer great deals on fantastic products through our UK network of excellent dealerships. We’ve a wide range of new cars ready to arrive in the UK too, and I’m looking forward to the opportunities and results throughout the rest of the year.”

Commercial vehicles

Mercedes-Benz vans rallied to a strong performance in March, with registrations increasing by 3.8 per cent to 5888 units.

The new Citan got off to a great start, with 199 new compact vans being registered in the first full month of customer sales. Over 200 Euro-V Vito Taxis have been registered YTD, over 26 per cent more than Q1 2012.

Actros led the heavy trucks divisions’ performance, with registrations rallying 60.8 per cent in March 2013, and up 2.6 per cent over 2012’s launch phase. Axor increased 5.3 per cent in March, and Fuso Canter registrations were up 17.6 per cent in the same month.

Marcus Breitschwerdt commented: “It’s encouraging to see that our vans division is delivering great results, and the first figures from our compact Citan show it is supporting the success of our established Vito [medium] and Sprinter [large] vans.

“Our heavy truck range is currently going through the biggest change-over in our history, and pretty soon the New Actros will be the ‘oldest’ product we offer – and it’s only just turned one year-old!

“At next week’s CV Show we’re showcasing a wealth of new products, showing that Mercedes-Benz is making enormous investments across the range to deliver efficient, safe, cost-effective commercial vehicles for operators that help drive British businesses forward.

“A new van or truck can be an important investment, and our team will be on site at the NEC in Birmingham to explain in detail how a new Mercedes-Benz can support their businesses.”

Credits: Mercedes-Benz UK

Copyright © 2013, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz posts best sales month in the company's history in March 2013

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Mercedes-Benz delivered 139,920 vehicles to customers in the month of March, more than in any previous month (+6.5%). Thus, first-quarter sales were 3.5% higher than in the same period of the previous year (324,898 units).Despite the difficult start of the European automotive market into 2013 that remained below expectations, Mercedes-Benz was able to keep the previous years’ level and to gain market shares in Western Europe. This was due to the great success of the new compact cars. In the same period, the brand with the star posted strong months particularly in the NAFTA region, Russia and Japan. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz was the most registered premium manufacturer in Japan and the USA as well as in Germany. In China, the first quarter was affected by the reorganization of the sales structures and the upcoming model changeovers. Among the model series, increases were posted in particular by the new compacts and the SUVs.

“Our sales developed very positively in March, so that we again topped the strong result of the previous year and have posted the best month in our company’s history to date. We have never sold as many vehicles in a single month“, said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing. “With strong gains in the USA and in many new growth markets, we were able to balance out weakening European markets and the sales decrease in China and have posted yet another sales record in the first quarter.”

In the NAFTA region, Mercedes-Benz saw the strongest first quarter in the company's history with sales of 78,193 units (+11.3%). In the USA, 69,187 vehicles were handed over to customers since January (+12.5%), which makes Mercedes-Benz into the most frequently registered premium manufacturer since the start of the year. The company also achieved a new sales record in Mexico with growth of one fifth (+20.7%) compared to the same period in the previous year.

In the Asia/Pacific region, first-quarter sales were particularly strong in Japan (+12.4%), South Korea (+15.5%), Taiwan (+16.0%) and Australia (+37.2%). In Japan, no other importer of premium vehicles delivered more vehicles to customers than Mercedes-Benz. In China (incl. Hong Kong) sales went up in March (+5.4%), however, the first quarter was strongly affected by the reorganization of the sales structures and the upcoming model change-overs and thus lagged behind (45,440 units, p.y. 51,328 units). The initiated measures combined with the introduction of the new models are designed to ensure sustained profitable sales growth in the medium-term. On the Russian market, the positive sales trend continued: Here, Mercedes-Benz achieved a new sales record with 8,595 vehicle deliveries since the beginning of the year (+20.7%). The brand also posted an excellent first quarter in Turkey (+78.1%) and in the Middle East region (+9.9%).

Defying the strongly declining market (-7.9%), Mercedes-Benz managed to grow sales and gain market shares in Western Europe (without Germany), and posted a plus of 3.9% compared to the same period in the previous year with 81,219 units sold from January to March. The good result was attributable mainly to the growth in Belgium (+25.1%) and Great Britain (+13.3%). In the strongly regressive German market (-12.9%) Mercedes-Benz posted first-quarter sales of 53,144 units (p.y. 56,552 units), expanded its market share and thus maintained its position as the most registered premium manufacturer.

Among the model series of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the new compacts performed particularly well in the first quarter, with deliveries of 77,044 units to A-Class and B-Class customers from January to March (+49.4%). A week ago, Mercedes-Benz presented the purely electric version of the B-Class at the International Auto Show in New York. Customers in the USA will be able to order the B-Class Electric Drive from the autumn of 2013 onwards.

The SUVs with the star continued their satisfactory development with worldwide sales of 77,227 units in the first quarter (+30.6%). New sales records were posted by the GLK (+40.2), the GL (+33.5%) and the G-Class (+70.3%). The same applies to the M-Class (+27.6%) which, moreover, was the market leader in its segment worldwide.

The smart fortwo sold 25,632 times from January to March (p.y. 26,975 units). The compact runabout managed to dodge its life cycle effect, especially on the domestic market Germany and in Great Britain, and remained here constant at the previous year’s level in the first quarter.

Overview of global sales in March 2013

Credits: Daimler AG

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Top March 2013 Sales of 24,646 Vehicles Take Mercedes-Benz to Highest First Quarter Ever at 69,187 Units

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Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported the highest first quarter sales volume in its history. March was another record month with sales of 24,646 for its Mercedes-Benz models, a 6.5% increase over March 2012, resulting in year-to-date sales of 69,187, up 12.5%. Combined sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, smart and Sprinter for the month totaled 27,104, up 6.3%, and year-to-date up 12.4 % at 75,214.

"We're coming out of our highest first quarter on record—and that's before launching a single new product," said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA. "With completely redesigned E-Class models arriving at dealerships, a next generation S-Class and a new entry point for the brand—the CLA—in the wings, we're looking at our strongest year on record."

Mercedes-Benz March sales were driven by the C-, E-, and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class – the current gateway to the brand on the car side for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – took the lead, posting sales of 8,396, up 32.4%. The 9th generation E-Class followed with sales of 4,009 and MBUSA's top-selling SUV, the M-Class, rounded out the top three with sales of 3,501. At the high-end, strong performers were the company's flagship S-Class, which saw 24.0% growth, and the SL-Class, which increased 790.5% over March 2012.

On a year-to-date basis, the top performers again were the C-Class with 22,912, the E-Class with 13,689 and the M-Class with 9,162.

The Sprinter model line also continued its record sales streak in March with 1,529 vans sold – up 11.2% over last year and up 22.5% on a year-to-date basis, while the company's smart brand recorded sales of 929 vehicles.

Sales of the high-performance AMG models were 631 for the month and sales of the company's BlueTEC diesel models finished the month at 1,640, up 2.4% over the same period last year.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 8,670 vehicles in March; an increase of 24% when compared to March 2012 (sales of 6,994 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 24,370 vehicles, an increase of 22% over the comparable period (with sales of 19,924 vehicles).

Mercedes-Benz USA March 2013 Sales Chart

Credits: Mercedes-Benz USA

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Record March Sales Of 23,134 Bring Mercedes-Benz USA To Highest First Quarter Ever At 61,513

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Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported a record March with sales of 23,134 for its Mercedes-Benz models, a 7.7 % improvement over March 2011 leading to the highest first quarter volume on record with sales of 61,513, up 15.3%. Combined sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, smart and Sprinter for the month totaled 25,508, up 13.1%, and for the year-to-date 66,906, up 19.5 %.

“With the combination of strong sales performance in our volume model lines and a whole new generation of Mercedes-Benz products in the pipeline, we are ideally positioned to take advantage of the strengthening market and take the brand to new places,” said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA.

Sales for the month of March were led by the C-, E-, and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand on the car side for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – took the lead with sales of 6,342 and the 9th generation E-Class followed with sales of 5,570. MBUSA’s top-selling SUV, the M-Class, rounded out the top three with sales of 4,070 up 45.8% compared to March 2011. Other strong performers were the company’s popular new CLS four-door coupe which saw 242.9% growth and the SLK roadster which increased 179.3% over March 2011.

The SLS AMG supercar retailed 123 for the month, up 20.6%.

On a year-to-date basis, top performers again were the C-Class with 18,107 (up 19.2%) the E-Class with 13,873 and the M-Class with 11,480 (up 59.4%).

Amidst rising gas prices, diesel sales increased to 1,601, up 55.6% over the same period last year (1,029) and up 65.4% for the year. On the other end of the spectrum, total AMG sales were 702, up 77.3% versus March 2011 (396) and up 62.2% for the year.

The company’s smart brand continued five consecutive months of sales increases with March sales of 999 vehicles, a 135% jump for the month (compared to the 425 vehicles sold in March 2011). The March volume is the highest on record for smart since MBUSA assumed responsibility in July 2011 and brings the year-to-date volume to 2,264, up 79 percent.

On the van side, sales of Sprinter Vans also saw strong momentum in March with sales of 1,375 – up 29.5% over last year and up 18.1% on a year-to-date basis.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 6,994 vehicles in March; a -3.3% decrease when compared to March 2011 (sales of 7,236 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 19,924 vehicles, an increase of 2.0% over the comparable period (with sales of 19,538).

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Mercedes-Benz Records Strongest Monthly Sales in the Company’s History in March

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With its best monthly sales in the company’s history and the third record month in 2012, Mercedes-Benz has recorded the strongest first-quarter result ever. In March, sales rose by 11.0% to 131,334 units. Thus, since the start of the year, a total of 313,902 vehicles were delivered to customers, an increase of 11.9%. Moreover, the Stuttgart based car manufacturer managed to gain market shares in numerous markets.

In its Mercedes-Benz Cars division, the company sold as many vehicles as never before in a month and also set a new sales record in the first quarter. A total of 340,877 Mercedes-Benz, smart, and Maybach vehicles (+11.6%) were delivered, including 142,278 units (+9.8%) sold in March alone.

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes‑Benz Cars: “Following up on our record sales last year, we are also off to a highly successful start in 2012. To date we have recorded a new sales record in every month of this year and with 313,902 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars sold, we have set a new high for the first quarter. March was even the strongest sales month of the company’s history. Besides our excellent start to the year it is especially the great customer response on the new models which makes me very confident that we will achieve our goal to post a new sales record in 2012. With the start of production of the new B-Class in Kecskemét last week, we will have even more vehicles available to better meet the high demand.”

The first quarter saw strong sales among others in the SUV segment. Dr. Schmidt continued: “Driven by the new M-Class, SUV sales developed excellently in the first quarter as they already did in full-year 2011. Tomorrow for the first time we will present the completely new GL and the new generation of the GLK at New York International Auto Show. With our SUV offensive we will extend sales further in this segment.” Besides the GLK and GL also the SL 65 AMG has its world premiere at the auto show in New York.

In the whole NAFTA region deliveries have been very satisfying in the first quarter (70,259 units, +15.5%). In the first three months of the year, Mercedes-Benz set a new sales record in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Particularly noteworthy was the dynamic development in the U.S., where sales rose by 15.3% (61,513 units). Also in the month of March, the company achieved another sales record in the U.S.: 23,134 vehicles were delivered to customers (+7.7%).

The development of the Mercedes-Benz brand also had a successful first quarter in China (incl. Hong Kong). 51,328 customers (+19.5%) purchased a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle from January to March, setting a new sales record for this period. Record sales were also registered there in March (17,660 units, +16.1%).

In Russia and India, Mercedes-Benz also recorded its highest-ever sales for the first quarter and for the month of March. Since the beginning of the year, sales have climbed by 32.7% in Russia, and 6.9% in India. Sales development of Mercedes-Benz has been especially successful in Japan, where first-quarter sales grew by 44.0% compared to the same period last year.

In the first three months of 2012, Mercedes-Benz has enjoyed outstanding sales in Germany, with 56,552 units sold since the beginning of the year, an increase of 14.6%. Also in March, Mercedes-Benz successfully sustained its position on its homemarket with a growth rate of 10.5%, handing over a total of 25,932 vehicles. Thus, Mercedes-Benz is again the top-selling premium brand in the month of March as well as in the first quarter. Sales in the rest of the region of Western Europe also developed strongly in March and in the first quarter. From January to March the brand with the star increased its sales on the declining total market by 6.7% (78,135 units). During this period, demand for Mercedes-Benz was especially high in Switzerland (+37.3%), France (+29.0%), and Great Britain (+9.6%). In Great Britain as well as in Switzerland Mercedes-Benz posted new sales records in the first quarter.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz models have developed very dynamically since the start of the year, above all the models of the C-Class segment. Despite new competitors, sales rose by 27.0% to 99,660 units. The S-Class sedan also continues to enjoy strong demand. Since January, sales of the brand’s flagship rose by over a quarter (+27.5%, 21,507 units) compared to the previous year. The new B-Class received again excellent customer response, with more than 35,000 units sold since it was launched to the market in November. In the year of the introduction of its successor, the A-Class increased its sales by 17.0% (20,772 units) in the first quarter. The E-Class sedan and estate also continue to be popular, with a total of 57,980 units (+3.4%) delivered to customers. Mercedes-Benz SUVs were in continued demand with sales of 59,116 vehicles, which set yet another record, topping last year’s high for the same period. The greatest contributors to this success were the M-Class (+19.0%), the G-Class (+39.4%), posting a new sales record, and the GL-Class, whose sales put on by 9.9% shortly before the introduction of its successor.

The smart fortwo also joined in the success of the Mercedes-Benz models in the first quarter. Sales totaled 26,975 units, topping the previous year’s sales by 8.0%. Especially in China (incl. Hong Kong) demand for the innovative two-seater continues to be persistently high. The number of vehicles delivered since January has doubled (4,795 units, +105.1%), setting a new sales record. First-quarter sales of the smart fortwo were equally dynamic in the U.S. (+78.7%).

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

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