Mercedes-Benz posts new sales record in 2012

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Following record sales in the previous year, Mercedes-Benz Cars has once again posted an annual record in 2012 as well as the highest December sales to date. Over the past twelve months, 1,423,835 customers chose a vehicle of the brands Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach. The previous year's sales volumes were thus exceeded by 4.5% or 60,901 units. Also Mercedes-Benz achieved a new sales record in 2012. From January through December, a total of 1,320,097 vehicles of the core brand were sold.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “We are very pleased with our sales for the full year 2012. Despite the difficult market environment in the southern European countries and numerous model change-overs, we managed to exceed the previous year's sales record. Our new models in particular were received extremely well by our customers. From the B-Class, more vehicles were sold in 2012 than ever before in a single year, the A-Class got off to a sensational start and our new SUVs are also enjoying lasting popularity.”

Product initiative will be continued

The company expects the positive trend to continue in the next year. Dr. Zetsche adds: “With our product initiative in the premium segment, we will consistently pursue our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy in 2013. With the new S-Class, the new E-Class but also the new CLA, we will present our customers a complete series of fascinating product highlights. In addition, our new A-Class will also be available in many additional markets. All of this will continue to provide us with momentum in the upcoming months.”

Record sales in all NAFTA countries

As in the past two years, Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. once again posted double-digit growth in sales in 2012 (+11.8%). With 274,134 vehicles sold, the company secured a new sales record. In addition, the U.S. replaced Germany as the brand's biggest market. Mercedes-Benz also posted new sales records for the full year 2012 in Mexico and Canada, the other countries of the NAFTA region. At 30,106 units, sales in Canada were 5.3% higher than the previous year's record. In Mexico, the 2011 sales high was even topped by 21.5%.

China, Russia and Middle East region with new sales records; Japan with high growth rates
Despite limited availability of the GLK due to the production break at BBAC lasting several weeks during the first half of the year and the successive introduction of the new B-Class beginning only in August, Mercedes-Benz posted a new sales record in China (incl. Hong Kong) (196,211 u., +1.5%) also in 2012. The company also posted a sales record in South Korea and Australia, where sales increased by 6.5% respectively 5.4% for the full year. In Russia, Mercedes-Benz achieved the best year of sales since market entrance with a double-digit growth in 2012.

In the Middle East region, customer response was also excellent in the full year 2012. Sales here grew by 16.8%, posting a new sales record.

Sales in Japan have demonstrated very dynamic growth in the past twelve months. No other importer of premium vehicles delivered more vehicles to customers than Mercedes-Benz. With 40,488 units sold, the previous year's level was exceeded by 24.9%.

Mercedes-Benz with highest number of new vehicle registrations in Germany for the past 20 years; sales up in Western Europe

Mercedes-Benz has now been the premium brand with the highest number of new vehicle registrations in Germany for the past 20 years. At 261,084 units, sales in the domestic market last year were on the high level of the previous year (-0.4%) despite the model change of the high volume A-Class model. In Western Europe (without Germany), 2012 was characterized by the difficult market environment in Southern Europe. Still Mercedes-Benz was able to top the sales volumes of the previous year (293,713 u.; +1.5%) due to the favourable customer response to the new models and CO2 optimized engines. Customer demand in the UK (+10.5%), Switzerland (+21.1%) and France (+5.8%) showed a particularly positive trend. In the southern European markets of Italy, Spain and Portugal, the brand with the star performed significantly better than the respective total markets, thus gaining additional market shares.

New compacts received extremely well by customers – record sales for the new B-Class

The new B-Class celebrated a resounding success in its first full year of availability. Never before more vehicles have been sold than in 2012 (145,649 u.). The previous record set in 2006 was thus outdone by 11.4%. Compared to the previous year, growth was actually 51.2%. With the increased availability of the new A-Class, sales of the young compacts continue to gain momentum. Since its sales release, over 90,000 orders have already been recorded for the vehicle.

C-Class segment continues to grow

After posting double-digit growth in the previous year, Mercedes-Benz again posted a significant increase in sales in the C-Class segment (413,193 u.) with 3.0% in the 2012 reporting year. The C-Class coupe performed particularly well over the past twelve months. With 48,145 buyers in 2012, plus 77.3% chose the sporty two-door model compared to the previous year. The SLK was once again popular from January through December. With 31,809 new cars delivered, the roadster's sales volume increased by 18.9%. Both the C-Class coupe and the SLK were also the highest selling vehicles in their respective segments in 2012.

CLS with strong sales performance in the E-Class segment

In the year before the market launch of the new E-Class, 225,521 vehicles of the sedan and the estate were sold (previous year: 244,341 u.). In total, 310,408 new vehicles of the E-Class segment were sold (previous year: 338,386 u.). The CLS was the top performing model in the E-Class segment in 2012 and was also the front runner in its competitive segment. In October, an entirely new vehicle concept celebrated its premiere with the CLS Shooting Brake, once again highlighting the leading role of Mercedes-Benz in the field of design. Overall, 36,825 units (+13.2%) of the four-door coupe were sold.

S-Class again best-selling luxury sedan in the world

Even in the year before its model change-over, the S-Class sedan was once again the most sought-after vehicle in its segment with 65,128 units sold (previous year: 68,969 u.). In the S-Class segment, the new SL was also particularly popular with customers over the past twelve months. In total, sales of the sporty roadster more than tripled.

In the last year of its availability, the Maybach was very popular with the customers. Overall, 234 luxury models were delivered to new owners, 12.0% more than in the previous year.

A success story continues – Mercedes-Benz SUVs post another record year

After the SUVs from Mercedes-Benz had already stormed from one sales record to the next in 2011, the previous year's record sales volume was topped again by 16.6% (289,960 u.) in 2012. Thus, one in five Mercedes-Benz cars sold last year was an SUV. Mainly responsible for this trend was the new M-Class, which increased its sales by almost one third (115,608 u.; +29.8%) and the facelifted GLK (109,813 u.; +17.0%). From January to December, the M-Class was even the highest selling vehicle in its competitive class. In 2012, the facelifted G-Class was also popular. With a 35.8% increase in sales, more G-Class vehicles were sold than ever before in a single calendar year.

Mercedes-Benz AMG posts new sales record

As in the past years, the sales volume of Mercedes-Benz AMG also developed favourably in 2012. With over 24,500 units sold, over 30% more customers opted for a performance vehicle than in the previous year. In the scope of the AMG Performance 50 growth strategy, AMG plans to increase sales to approximately 30,000 vehicles by 2017, thus continuing to hold the top position in this refined and exclusive segment.

smart fortwo again surpasses 100,000 milestone

Last year, 103,738 customers chose a new smart fortwo. With this, the previous year's outstanding sales volumes were not only met but exceeded by 1.7%. Dr. Zetsche: “The smart fortwo has once again managed to exceed our expectations, surpassing the milestone of 100,000 vehicles sold despite the difficult market environment in Southern Europe.” Over the last twelve months, the micro compact car performed particularly well primarily in the U.S. (+92.2%), China (incl. Hong Kong) (+43.8%) and Canada (+29.0%).

Overview of sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Cars posts new global sales record in November 2012

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This past month Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles than ever before in the month of November. With sales of 120,346 units the previous year's record was topped by 5.7%. Since January, Mercedes-Benz has delivered a total of 1,194,904 passenger cars (+5.1%) worldwide, which is also a new record. The Mercedes-Benz Cars division also set new sales records for November and the year to date. In the course of the year thus far, 1,291,287 units (+4.9%) of the brands Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach have been delivered.

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars: "In November we posted a new sales record again. Shortly before the end of the year we thus continue on course to making 2012 the biggest-selling year in company history so far. I am particularly pleased about the favorable response to our new vehicles. Above all else the A-Class is trending excellently. The renewed recognition as Germany’s strongest car brand by the ADAC AutoMarxX is a great confirmation that Mercedes-Benz has set the right course for a successful future."

Mercedes-Benz sales are at an all-time high since the start of the year in all countries of the NAFTA region (279,675 units; +11.4%).

In the USA the brand with the star continues to be the premium brand with the most new registrations in 2012. Unit sales rose from January through November to a record level of 245,910 vehicles, an increase of 12.0%. Last month the high level of the previous year was topped by another 13.1% (30,315 units).

Mercedes-Benz is likewise since the beginning of the year, the premium manufacturer with the biggest number of new registrations in the domestic market, and according to the ADAC AutoMarxX study the strongest car brand in Germany. Despite the model changeover for the high-volume A-Class, so far 238,393 units of the brand were handed over to customers (+0.6%) this year. Thus, the previous year's high sales level was maintained. In November 24,365 vehicles (+0.2%) were sold. On the still declining Western European market (outside Germany), Mercedes-Benz again reports a very positive trend in November.

With 22,962 units sold, the brand achieved an increase of 6.1% and managed to gain additional market shares in almost all markets. The company achieved particularly high growth rates last month mainly in the United Kingdom (+9.9%) and France (+37.6%).

In China (incl. Hong Kong) 177,301 customers have opted for a new model from the Mercedes-Benz brand (+4.2%) since the start of the year. This marks a new sales record for the period. In November, however, sales in China were slightly down.

The brand with the star continued to post very positive results in Russia, South Korea and Japan. With increases of 26.9% and 6.9%, respectively, from January through November, sales in Russia and South Korea remained on a record course. In Japan unit sales rose during the same period by 23.8%. Thus, among the importers Mercedes-Benz is the premium brand with the most vehicle registrations in Japan.

Among the Mercedes-Benz model series, especially the compact car segment posted high growth rates. In November a total of 21,706 A- and B-Class vehicles were delivered to customers. That was 38.1% more than in the same month of the previous year. With the introduction of the new A-Class in further markets the company expects to get additional impulses for growth during the next few months.

Vehicles in the C-Class segment also continue to be popular. Since January sales have risen to 378,824 vehicles (+5.1%). The C-Class coupe is especially successful: in the year to date it nearly doubled its sales and is thus the top-seller in its segment. The same can be said of the S-Class sedan in the year before its model change. In year-to-date sales the S-Class segment posted growth of 5.0% (73,927 units).

With 27,732 units sold in November last years’ sales record in the E-Class segment was once again surpassed (1.9%). Demand for the SUVs from Mercedes-Benz ran particularly high again in the past month. With 29,722 units (+16.3%) sales in November rose to a new monthly high. So far in the overall year, sales in the SUV segment have also reached a new record high of 257,216 units (+16.1%). The new M-Class above all has sold outstandingly well to date in 2012. From January to November more than 100,000 models already were delivered to customers (+33.4%).

As in October the facelifted GLK (+45.9%) and the facelift of the G-Class (+108.3%) posted especially high growth rates last month. In November more units of the two vehicles were sold than ever before in this period.

With sales of 96,383 units (+2.2%), on the home stretch of the year smart is still on course to break the 100,000 unit sales mark also in 2012. In November the city runabout was especially popular with customers in the USA (+70.0%), China (incl. Hong Kong) (+16.7%) and Japan (+137.2%).

There was also another reason for the brand to celebrate in November. At the end of the month smart took the start with the biggest purely electric car2go fleet in Stuttgart. The capital city of Baden-Württemberg is thus the sixteenth city in which the mobility concept car2go is offered.

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Cars Division Starts with Record Global Sales into the Fourth Quarter of 2012

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Following up on the record sales in the first three quarters, Mercedes-Benz posted a new sales record in October as well. With 109,632 vehicles delivered, the record of the same month in the previous year was topped by 6.0%. Thus, the brand has sold 1,074,558 vehicles (+5.1%) since the beginning of the year, which is also a new record.

The Mercedes-Benz Cars division likewise posted new record highs both in October and the year to date. Last month, the company delivered 118,609 units (+6.2%) of the Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brands to customers. The total for January to October came to 1,162,519 vehicles (+4.9%).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: "With our sales record in October we have started successfully into the fourth quarter. Our new models, spearheaded by the new A-Class and B-Class, are giving us significant tailwind. We are expecting a new worldwide sales record for the full year as well. In our currently largest market, the U.S., we are on record course with high growth rates and can thus again secure our market leadership since the beginning of the year."

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz sold 23,270 vehicles in October. Thus, sales increased 3.0% compared to last year. The top favorites were the new compact models of the A-Class and B-Class, the M-Class and the facelifted GLK model. In the full year to date, sales in Germany are at 214,028 units (+0.7%). The brand thus remains marketleader on its domestic market since the beginning of the year.

In the remaining Western European market (without Germany), Mercedes-Benz posted strong sales in October. With deliveries of 22,543 new vehicles the brand recorded a plus of 7.4% – primarily also thanks to the first deliveries of the new A-Class. Thus, Mercedes-Benz could gain additional market shares almost everywhere in Western Europe. With 246,247 units recorded since the beginning of the year sales are slightly above the previous year's level (+1.0%). The brand with the star posted particularly high growth rates in October in France (+19.9%), Belgium (+26.0%) and Switzerland (+11.5%). With a sales increase of 10.7% since the beginning of the year, the company even posted a new sales record in the UK.

The development in the NAFTA Region continues to be very positive. In the U.S., Mercedes-Benz has sold 215,596 vehicles (+11.9%) since the beginning of the year, and 23,978 units in October (+5.9%) – both times a new record despite the hurricane “Sandy”. Mercedes-Benz is thus still the most sold premium brand in the U.S. in the year to date. The brand again achieved record sales in Mexico. In October alone, 27.4% more vehicles were handed over to customers than in the same month of the previous year.

In China (incl. Hong Kong), year-to-date sales rose by 5.5% to a new sales record of 160,425 units. The month of October with 15,895 units sold, was short of the very strong October sales in the previous year (p.y. 16,539 u.). With the full availability of the recently launched high-volume B-Class, the company expects additional momentumin the next months. The facelift of the GLK is already doing very well (+40.8%). The S-Class sedan remains market leader in China in the last year of its lifecycle. Additionally, the company is continuing its work on the development of a new sales organzation that will contribute to the long-term and sustainable development of
Mercedes-Benz in China.

Mercedes-Benz sales continued to develop very dynamically in Russia and Japan. In Japan, the company posted a sales increase of 24.6% since January. In Russia, Mercedes-Benz reached a new sales record with a plus of 26.4%. Also in Australia the brand registered a new sales record since the beginning of the year.

After the successful market launch of the A-Class in Europe and strong sales of the B-Class, the compact car segment showed a plus of 34.3% in October. Overall, 20,923 A-Class and B-Class vehicles were handed out to customers last month. Since the new A-Class is currently still in the start-up phase, the compact car segment will gain additional sales momentum in the coming months. In addition the A-Class will be launched in further important markets. In December, for example, in the UK. China and Japan will follow in the coming year.

At 344,036 units (+7.1%), sales in the C-Class segment have been developing very well in the year to date. Especially popular in October was the coupe as the top selling vehicle in its class. Since the beginning of the year it was already sold nearly 40,000 times. In the year before its facelift sales of the E-Class sedan were on the previous year’s level in October (-0.3%).

Strong growth rates were posted by the S-Class segment with a plus of 21.4% in October. Thus, deliveries for the year amounted to 67,548 units (+5.3%). The S-Class sedan, which is celebrating its naming anniversary this fall, continues to hold the pole position in its segment since the beginning of the year. The flagship of the Mercedes-Benz brand was given the name "S-Class“ for the first time exactly 40 years ago. The SUVs of the brand posted new sales records both since the beginning of the year and in October. With a plus of 16.1%, 227,494 units were delivered to customers since January. The total for October was 26,174 units (+22.6%). The demand was especially high for the facelifted GLK, which reached new highs both in October (+32.7%) and the year to date (+10.5%). The likewise facelifted G-Class, even doubled its sales, thus marking a new sales record last month. With an increase of 37.9% the M-Class is also at a new record high since the beginning of the year. Moreover, it is the top seller in its segment for the year to date.

Despite the continued difficult market environment in Southern Europe the smart sub-compact brand also developed positively in October. In the previous month, a total of 8,977 smart fortwo (+8.1%) were delivered to customers worldwide. Sales in the year to date are thus at 87,961 units (+2.4%). Therefore, smart is well on course to hold the good sales level of the previous year. The innovative two-seater posted particularly high growth rates in October in the USA (+205.2%), Great Britain (+37.3%), Canada (+70.4%) and Japan (+91.3%). The city runabout most recently ranked first among the sub-compact cars in the customer barometer of ADAC, which yearly measures drivers' satisfaction with their vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz Cars October 2012 sales at a glance

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Cars posts global sales records in September and Q3 2012

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Mercedes-Benz has achieved a new sales record, both for the month of September and for the third quarter. The 123,358 units delivered during the month topped the September 2011 record by 2.0%.

In total, the company sold 312,001 units in the third quarter (+1.1%). At 964,926 vehicles (+5%) delivered, sales of the brand were likewise at a new record high for the year to date.

The Mercedes-Benz Cars division also set new sales records for September and the year to date. The company sold 132,606 (+2.4%) Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brand vehicles during the month. Total sales for the first three quarters of 2012 marked a +4.7% increase over the record volume achieved in the same period last year (1,043,910 u.).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “Despite numerous model changeovers and the difficult market environment in Southern Europe, we sold more vehicles than ever before in September and the third quarter. Thus we are still on track to achieve a new sales record for the year as a whole. We expect further momentum in the fourth quarter, especially from our new models. In particular, the response to our new A-Class has been excellent and we already have about 70,000 orders. Our facelifted GLK and the new M-Class and B-Class are also extremely popular.”

Mercedes-Benz continues to be the premium brand with the highest unit sales in the U.S. in 2012. Also in September, the U.S. market was one of the key drivers behind Mercedes-Benz’ positive performance. In total, 23,156 vehicles were delivered to their new owners (+7.0%). Thus, the sales posted for the month of September and the year to date (191,618 u., +12.7%) were the company’s highest ever on the U.S. market. The same applies to Mexico and Canada.

Besides the countries of the NAFTA region, the brand with the star also set new sales records for September and the first three quarters of 2012 in China (incl. Hong Kong) and Russia.
Mercedes-Benz’ September sales in China amounted to16,806 units (+10.0%), raising the total number of passenger vehicles delivered since January to 144.530 units (+6.7%). In Russia, the company grew its year-to-date sales by around 25%.

The brand with the star continued to post extremely positive results in Japan and the Middle East region, where sales surged by 24.5% and 19.9% in the first nine months of the year. For the Middle East region, with a sales increase of 31.7%, September even was the best-selling month ever.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz’ year-to-date sales are on previous year’s level (190,758 u., +0.4%). In mid-September, the new A-Class celebrated its European market launch. With 700,000 visitors, this was the most successful dealer premiere of all times. About 70,000 orders have already been placed and will be delivered successively, from now on. In September, Mercedes-Benz delivered a total of 22,566 passenger cars to the German market (prior year: 24,514 u.), the top sellers being the new B-Class and new M-Class, as well as the facelifted GLK. The GLK even had its best September sales ever in Germany.

On the Western European market (without Germany), the Mercedes-Benz brand delivered 33,929 vehicles in September (+1.6%) despite the difficult market situation in Southern Europe markets. Thus, year-to-date sales are on the previous year’s level (+0.3%). The brand’s performance in UK came as a pleasant surprise once again in September with 16,500 vehicles sold and 14.0% growth, which was a new record for this month. In France, where the 2012 Paris Motor Show was getting underway, the strong demand for the company’s models continued into September (+7.0%). A key theme of Mercedes-Benz’ presentation at this year’s Motor Show is “green mobility.” Highlights include the world premiere of the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, the world’s fastest electrically-powered, serially produced vehicle, and the new Concept B-Class Electric Drive.

While the B-Class Electric Drive will be brought to market in 2014, the new B-Class with combustion engine continued its success story in September with 14,722 new customers. This is not just a new record, it is also almost three times the sales result of September 2011 (+180.2%). Last month also marked the B-Class’ first sales milestone: Since its market launch in November 2011, more than 100,000 units of the B-Class model series have been sold. The M-Class, for its part, was able to pass the same milestone in September as well.

Vehicles in the C-Class segment also continue to be popular. Total sales since the start of the year have grown by 8.9% (312,072 u.) over the same period last year. The flagship of the brand, the S-Class sedan, has been in the top spot in its segment since the beginning of the year. In the S-Class segment, growth in year-to-date sales for 2012 amounted to +3.9% (61,294 u.). The new SL was a big hit again in September with a nearly sixfold increase in sales of the sporty roadster (+466.9%).

The high demand last month also continued for the Mercedes-Benz line of SUVs, where the sales record for the month set last year was topped by a further 30.7%. As in August, the most significant growth drivers were the facelifted models of the GLK (+48.3%) and the G-Class (+32.7%), as well as the new M-Class (+57.7%). For both, the GLK and the M-Class this was the best September of all time for sales. In addition, the M-Class was the market leader in its segment worldwide. The brand’s SUVs also set a new record for year-to-date sales with a total of 201,320 units (+15.3%).

The smart fortwo model also recorded positive growth in September. With 9,248 units delivered sales of the innovative two-seater city runabout increased by 8.9%. Particularly strong growth came again from the U.S. (+119.6%), China (incl. Hong Kong) (+18.3%), Canada (+153.9%) and Mexico (+45.3%). Year-to-date and September sales hit new records in China and Mexico.

Thus, the smart is well on its way to repeating last year’s solid sales performance with a total of 78,984 vehicles delivered to customers in the first three quarters of 2012 (+1.8%).

Mercedes-Benz Cars sales at a glance

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Cars posts new global sales record for August 2012

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Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles in August than ever before in this month. With a total of 91,316 units delivered, sales were up 4.5% compared to the previous year. Since the beginning of the year, 841,567 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars have been sold (+5.4%) – likewise a new record. At 911,303 units (+5.1%), sales in the Mercedes-Benz Cars division have also reached a new high over the year to date. In August, 97,337 Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brand vehicles were delivered (+4.5%).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “Demand for our products developed very positively in August. Although we are currently going through a phase of several model changes, in the past month we sold more vehicles than ever before in this period. In mid September our new A-Class will celebrate its market launch. The more than 50,000 orders we have received since mid June show what an outstanding customer response the model is already enjoying. With the new A-Class and the gradual introduction of other new models such as the CLS Shooting Brake and the GL-Class, our sales will gain further momentum.”

As in the year 2012 to date, Mercedes-Benz sales in the NAFTA region in August also reached a new record level. In the U.S. in particular, demand for the cars with the star remained persistently high. With 20,557 deliveries in the past month, unit sales were up 11.3% on the previous year’s figure. Mercedes-Benz has thus delivered 168,462 models (+13.5%) to customers on the U.S. market since the beginning of the year – more than any other premium manufacturer. Record sales were also generated in Canada and Mexico since the beginning of the year. In the past eight months, unit sales were up by 8.9% in Canada and by as much as 25.0% in Mexico.

In China (incl. Hong Kong) Mercedes-Benz recorded a new sales high for August with 14,205 units (+2.8%) sold. The brand also posted a high for the period from January to August, carrying out 127,724 deliveries (+6.2%) to Chinese customers. End of August the new B-Class celebrated its market launch in China.

Mercedes-Benz continued to develop particularly well in Russia and Japan. Both in August and the year to date, growth rates in both countries were considerably over 20%.

In the Middle East region, Mercedes-Benz vehicles also remain very popular. In August, the brand posted a new sales record there with unit sales up 35.5%.
In Germany, Mercedes-Benz has sold 168,192 vehicles since the beginning of the year. Despite this year’s model changeover of the high-selling A-Class and the launch of the facelift for the very popular C-Class in the previous year, the brand’s sales were thus higher than the level in 2011 (+1.6%). In August, the month before the market launch of the new A-Class, 19,176 units were sold (previous year: 19,412 u.).

On the Western European market (without Germany), which is still heavily in decline, Mercedes-Benz held its ground very well in August, delivering 14,174 new vehicles and increasing its sales by almost five percent (+4.8%). Since the start of the year, sales are at the previous year’s level (+0.1%) at 190,775 units. Mercedes-Benz saw a particularly strong development in August again in Switzerland (+24.7%), France (+20.3%) and the UK (+9.4%).

The B-Class continues to enjoy extremely high demand. As in the months before, unit sales in August also beat the previous records for the month. A total of 11,348 customers (+163.5%) opted for a new B-Class. Deliveries since the beginning of the year thus amounted to a new record of 92,440 units (+26.6%). Sales in the C-Class segment have also developed very positively in the year to date, with 270,670 models sold (+11.3%).

The models in the E-Class segment celebrated a sales record last month. Overall, more than 13 million vehicles have already been sold in this segment. This year, over 200,000 units have been delivered to date. In the year to date, the S-Class segment grew by 3.8% (54,404 u.).

Last month, particularly the new SL was in very high demand. Compared with the same period of the previous year, sales of the roadster were more than five times as high (+447.1%). The brand’s SUVs achieved another record month. With 22,499 deliveries in August, the previous year’s record was exceeded by 33.7%. The facelifted GLK (+58.0%) and G-Class (+17.8%) as well as the new M-Class (+43.7%) marked particularly high sales increases. The M-Class was thus the best-selling vehicle in its competitive class last month. With 174,293 SUVs delivered since January (+13.2%), a new sales record was also set for the year to date.

The smart microcar developed positively in August, despite the continuing difficult market environment in Western Europe. With 6,021 units sold a sales increase of 4.2% was recorded. Year to date sales are thus at 69,736 units delivered (+1.0%). Accordingly, smart remains on track to maintain the previous year’s strong sales level. In August the innovative two-seater was again especially popular in the U.S. (+85.9%) and China (incl. Hong Kong) (+22.1%).

And smart had another reason to celebrate last month. Since August, the smart is now also available in Moscow. The Stuttgart-based brand sees great potential in Russia for the compact two-seater with its extremely low need for driving and parking space. Following its launch in Russia, smart is now represented on 46 markets worldwide.

Overview of Mercedes-Benz Cars unit sales

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz sells 97,327 vehicles in July worldwide

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Mercedes-Benz remains on course for record sales. Since the beginning of the year, the brand delivered a total of 750,251 units to customers and therefore managed to increase sales by 5.5% compared to the same period last year. In July alone, 97,327 vehicles were sold (p.y. 100,391 u.).

In the Mercedes-Benz Cars division, too, more vehicles were sold in the first seven months of the year than ever before. Deliveries of the Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brands rose by 5.1% to 813,966 vehicles from January to July. Last month's sales totaled 105,449 units (p.y. 108,885 u.).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “Despite many upcoming model changes and difficult market conditions in Southern Europe, for the year to date we continue on a path of growth and are well on track to setting a new sales record in 2012 that will get a special boost by our new A-Class, which goes on sale in September.” The response to the new A-Class is excellent with well over 40,000 posted orders since it was released for sale. Dr. Schmidt adds: “The gradual introduction of additional new models like the CLS Shooting Brake and the GL-Class will give further momentum to our sales.”

Mercedes-Benz sales in the countries of the NAFTA region have reached a new record level since the beginning of the year. In Canada, sales rose by 10.1% from January through July; in Mexico, by even more than a quarter (+26.0%). In the same period, 147,905 vehicles (+13.8%) were sold in the U.S. With 19,311 vehicles delivered (+1.6%) in July, Mercedes-Benz continues to rank first among the best-selling premium brands in the U.S. market in 2012.

With growth rates of 24.5% in Russia and 8.7% in South Korea, last month’s sales and sales for the year to date reached a new record high. Mercedes-Benz also reported a similarly dynamic trend in Japan, which saw a 16.8% sales increase last month.

In China (incl. Hong Kong), in the year to date, sales rose by 6.7% to a new record high of 113,519 units. Due to the phasing out of the first generation B-Class and pending availability of the new model, the B-Class was not available in China in July. Nevertheless, with 14,128 vehicles, sales were nearly on last year’s level in the past month (p.y. 14,248). The new B-Class will come to the Chinese market late August.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz was the premium brand with the highest number of new vehicle registrations from January to July. In the domestic market the year-to-date Mercedes-Benz sales of 149,016 units are running 2.0% ahead of previous year’s level despite the impending model change and the resulting very limited availability of the high-volume A-Class. The limited availability of the discontinued model was also felt in the strongly shrinking Western European market (without Germany). Nevertheless, from January through July Mercedes-Benz sales in the region totaled 176,601 units, slightly above the previous year’s level (p.y. 176,973 u.). Mercedes-Benz performed exceptionally well in July in Switzerland (+20.0%) and in France (+7.6%).

A sales record was set for the new B-Class in the first half of the year, and demand continues to run high at the start of the third quarter. In July, compared with the previous year the model series more than doubled its sales (12,142 u.; +108.8%) to post another new record. Since the beginning of the year, there is also continued, very strong demand for the vehicles from the C-Class segment, where sales rose by 11.9% from January through July. Over the same period, sales in the S-Class segment increased by 4.6%. Especially owing to the strong demand in China, already 41,507 vehicles of the S-Class sedan were delivered to customers worldwide in the year to date. Thus, the brand’s flagship model was the top-selling vehicle in its segment during the past seven months. In addition, last month the S-Class celebrated a special anniversary with more than 500,000 models of the current series manufactured to date, more than ever before in the same period of time. The new SL is generating an outstanding response in the S-Class segment. Driven, among other things, by high demand in the U.S., Roadster sales have doubled since the start of the year (+105.2%), and more than quadrupled in July (+323.4%).

Mercedes-Benz SUVs continue to generate an outstanding response from buyers and posted new record sales in July and in the year to date with strong growth of more than a quarter in the past month alone (+25.8%). The main drivers of this trend were the new M-Class (+57.7%) and the new generation of the GLK (+18.5%). In the first month after its market launch the GLK set a new sales record for July. The new generation of the G-Class has also been outstandingly well received by customers. The entire production of the year 2012 is already taken up by orders.

smart is still on track to maintaining its good sales level from last year. With 63,715 units sold since the beginning of the year, the sales of the city runabout are constant at last year’s level (+0.7%). In July, the innovative two-seater was again especially popular mainly in the U.S. (+138.5%) and in China (incl. Hong Kong) (+23.9%).

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz posts record global sales for the first half of 2012

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Mercedes-Benz remains on track for success, posting a new sales record for the first half of the year. From January to June, a total of 652,924 vehicles (+6.9%) were sold. In June, with 121,542 units sales were slightly above previous year’s record level (+0.9%).

The first two quarters of 2012 also witnessed the highest-volume sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division in the company’s history. During the first six months of the year, the company sold 708,517 units (+6.5%) of the brands Mercedes-Benz, smart, and Maybach, with the month of June accounting for 131,139 of these vehicle sales (+0.2%).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “Despite difficult market conditions in Southern Europe, we remain on course for record sales, and with a growth in sales of 6.9 percent in the first half of the year we have achieved the best sales results so far. Over the next few months, the market launch of the new A-Class in particular will provide a further boost to sales. This means we are well on track this year to surpassing the 2011 sales record. Also in June, Mercedes-Benz sales were slightly above previous year’s high level.”

The strongest driver of the positive trend in Mercedes-Benz sales in the first six months of the year was the U.S. market, where the company posted a new record with 128,595 passenger cars delivered (+15.9%). This makes Mercedes-Benz the premium brand with the highest number of new vehicle registrations in 2012. Besides the U.S., there were also extremely positive trends in the other NAFTA region markets. New sales records were set for the year to date in Canada (15,944 u., +9.9%) as well as in Mexico (3,431 u.; +28.1%).

Besides the NAFTA region markets, Mercedes-Benz also sold more vehicles between January and June than ever before in China (including Hong Kong) as well as in Russia. A total of 99,391 units (+7.8%) were delivered to customers in the Chinese market, while in Russia the growth in sales was 27.6%. The brand with the star also performed strongly in Japan, where sales for the first half of the year were up by 27.5%. Thus, Mercedes-Benz ranks number one among premium manufacturers on the Japanese market.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz has been the most successful premium brand concerning new vehicle registrations since the beginning of the year. Over this period, the company has sold 128,529 passenger cars (+4.5%) on the domestic market.

In the western European region (without Germany), Mercedes-Benz in the first half of the year sold a total of 155,555 units in the face of declining market trends, and thus gained market shares. Despite the difficult market conditions, sales were therefore on previous year’s level (+1.1%). The brand continued to sell exceptionally well in the United Kingdom, where a new sales record was set with an increase in sales of 11.4%. The same applies to Switzerland, with a growth in sales of 35.9% for the first half of the year.

The B-Class remains a top seller among the different model series. More vehicles were sold in the month of June and over the first half of the year than ever before in these periods. Last month alone, the growth in sales was 42.9% (14,629 u.), while 68,950 units (+9.7%) have been sold since the beginning of the year.

The vehicles from the C-Class segment were also key growth drivers in the first half of the year, with a growth in sales of 14.9%. Additionally, the C-Class models celebrated a sales jubilee in June: as of last month, more than two million customers are enjoying driving a sedan, estate, or coupe model from the new model series. Furthermore, the C-Class coupe and the SLK were the top-selling vehicles in their segments in the first half of 2012.

In the E-Class segment, the CLS scored top marks with strong sales figures. Between January and June, deliveries of the four-door coupe increased by 38.9%. Therefore, the CLS also topped sales in its competitive segment. The same is true for the S-Class sedan, which also posted higher sales figures in the first half of the year. Since the start of the year, 37,539 units of the brand’s flagship model have been sold (+4.4%). Thus, as in the previous year, the S-Class once again was the top-selling model in its segment. Meanwhile, the new SL is still generating a very positive response from customers. Sales of the sporty roadster rose by +78.7% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.Mercedes-Benz SUVs remain on the track to success. The record sales figures from 2011 were surpassed both for June and for the first six months of the year. Results were supported by high growth in sales, for example with the M-Class (+32.7%), the G-Class (+18.5%), and the GL-Class (+7.2%). Last Friday saw the market launch of the next-generation GLK. This model series and the new G-Class, which will be launched in the next few months, as well as the completely new GL-Class, will positively influence brand sales even further over the rest of the year.

smart is still on track to maintaining its good sales level from last year. A total of 55,593 units (+1.4%) of the city runabout were handed over to customers in the first half of 2012, with the figure for June at 9,597 vehicles. The innovative two-seater achieved a particularly strong growth in sales between January and June in the U.S. (+85.8%), China (including Hong Kong) (+59.3%), and Mexico (+23.9%). At the same time, the sales figures in China and Mexico set new records for the first 2012 half-year. Another notable development was the increase in sales of the smart fortwo last month in the U.S., where shipments of the model more than tripled (+208.2%).

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Record month of May: Mercedes-Benz surpasses previous year’s sales high

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As in the previous year, Mercedes-Benz again posted a new record for unit sales in May 2012. In total, the company delivered 113,136 units. Thus, sales were up 4.0% on the record figure for 2011. More than half a million customers have already chosen a new vehicle from the brand with the star since the start of the year (531,382 units; +8.4%). This is the earliest in a year this threshold has ever been passed.

The Mercedes-Benz Cars division also posted record sales in May and year-to-date. The company sold a total of 577,378 Mercedes-Benz, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles (+8.0%) in the period from January to May. 122,600 units were delivered in the past month (+3.1%).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The record sales in May show that our new models are being excellently received by customers across all segments. The best example for this is the new B-Class. Sales for this model series have been at record levels both in May and year-to-date. We are on track to meet our target of selling more vehicles in 2012 than ever before in a single year and therefore to grow stronger than the market.”

Sales by Mercedes-Benz continued to develop especially well in the United States. In May, sales were at a new high of 22,515 units (+19.2%). Also a sales high posted the brand with the star for the period from January to May (106,364 units; +17.8%). Thus, Mercedes-Benz is leading the field of premium manufacturers on the U.S. market.

As well as in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz is also the best-selling premium manufacturer in Germany. 102,567 vehicles were delivered to customers in the first five months of 2012 (+6.5%).

On the contracting Western European market (without Germany) Mercedes-Benz has sold 2.8% more vehicles since the beginning of the year than in the same period of the previous year (126,922 units). In the UK, deliveries developed particularly well. New sales records were set both for May (+18.2%) and year-to-date (+11.8%). In Switzerland, sales increased by more than a third, leading to a new sales record since the beginning of the year.

Sales in China (including Hong Kong) are also at a record level for 2012. With 82,534 Mercedes-Benz cars from January to May, 8.7% more vehicles were delivered to customers than in the previous year. Due to the B-Class model changeover, the high-volume model series is currently subject to highly limited availability in China. Nonetheless, with 16,529 units sold in May (+0.8%), sales figures are above last year’s record level. 

Mercedes-Benz has posted excellent year-to-date sales figures in Japan and Russia. The brand with the star achieved a growth of more than 30% in both countries over the first five months. Russia has set new sales records both for May and since the start of the year. Past May was even the most successful month ever in the Russian market. In South Korea, Mercedes-Benz reports sales records both for the past month and since the beginning of the year. In May, sales increased by 36.9% whereas sales in 2012 as a whole increased by 4.7%.

As in recent months, the trend in unit sales was again highly positive in the Middle East in May with a surge of 11.7%.

Regarding the model series, sales of new B-Class is still climbing steadily. Never before so many new B-Class vehicles have been delivered to customers from January to May (54,321 units). Sales for this model series were up 17.7% year-on-year in May alone. But also the A-Class is being excellently received by buyers in the year of its model changeover. So far, the brand’s entry model has posted an increase of 40.2% in 2012. The popularity of the A-Class among its customers was also shown by the study on car drivers’ satisfaction with their vehicles presented by J.D. Powers and Associates last week. Here, the A-Class landed first place in the “compact class” category. Along with the A-Class, the C-Class and the E-Class also took pole position in their respective segments in the customer satisfaction survey. Hence, Mercedes-Benz came off as overall winner of the study.

The positive response to the vehicles is as well represented by their respective sales figures. The C-Class segment has seen growth of 18.5% year-to-date. In the E-Class segment, the CLS, for example, is continuing to enjoy strong demand. Sales of the four-door coupe have risen by more than half since the start of the year (+53.4%).

S-Class sedan sales are also up year-to-date, with 8.9% more units of the brand’s flagship sold. Thus, the S-Class is still the best-selling vehicle in its competitive segment this year. The performance in sales of the new SL has been outstanding as well. Delivery figures for the sports roadster more than tripled in May (+251.9%).

Mercedes-Benz brand SUVs have reached new sales highs. In total, 103,005 units have been sold in this segment so far in 2012. The bestseller among the SUVs is the M-Class, sales of which increased by 29.3%. But also the GL and the G-Class develop very well, shortly before the run-up of their new models. In the first five months of this year, more GL units were sold than ever before in this period (+14.8%). The G-Class even posted a boost of 26.1%.

smart is still on course for its goal of maintaining the previous year’s sales level over the year as a whole. Since the start of the year, sales are up 3.4% at 45,996 units. 9,464 units of the city runabouts were delivered to customers in May (-6.9%). Positive momentum is expected of the gradual launch of the facelift in further markets in the upcoming months. In May, the smart fortwo was again especially popular in the U.S. (+42.9%) and China (including Hong Kong) (+35.8%).

Mercedes-Benz Cars May 2012 Sales

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Mercedes-Benz Starts Successfully into the Second Quarter of 2012: Sales up 3.6 Percent in April

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Mercedes-Benz has had a successful start of the second quarter, with sales up 3.6%. Last month, the company sold 104,344 vehicles of its core brand. Year-to-date shipments are thus at a record level of 418,246 units (+9.7%).

The Mercedes-Benz Cars division has also registered a new sales record since the beginning of the year. Between January and April, 454,778 vehicles (+9.4%) of Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach have been sold; 113,901 units (+3.5%) of these were in April.

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “We are continuing on the road to success as the second quarter begins, and have again increased our sales compared to last year. This is mainly due to the ongoing high demand for our new products. Sales of the new B-Class and the new M-Class are already performing excellently and will continue to develop dynamically due to the gradual introduction to other markets. In the months to come, the next generation GLK, the new G-Class and the E300 BlueTec Hybrid, the most efficient sedan in the premium segment, are celebrating their market launch. This will provide additional sales momentum.”

Demand for the brand with the star remains especially high throughout the NAFTA region. In the USA, Canada, and Mexico, sales have been at a record high since the start of the year. In April alone, 22,336 vehicles (+23.8%) have been handed over to customers in the United States. From January to April, 83,849 Mercedes-Benz cars (+17.5%) were sold. This makes Mercedes-Benz in April and year-to-date the best-selling premium brand in the U.S. In Canada, sales were up15.8% year-on-year in the same period. In Mexico sales even rose by 29.9% compared to the previous year.

Mercedes-Benz sales also developed very dynamically in Russia. New sales records were reached in April and year-to-date. Sales growth was 25.9% in April.

Sales were also robust in the Middle East region in April, growing by 20.3%.

Mercedes-Benz also continued to perform very well in Germany. Since January, 78,957 vehicles have been sold in the home market, which corresponds to a growth of 10.2%. Deliveries increased slightly year-on-year to 22,405 units (+0.6%). Thus, Mercedes-Benz had the strongest sales of any premium brands in Germany, not just in April but also year-to-date. Regarding registrations, Mercedes-Benz in April once again outperformed the total market and gained market shares. In addition, the S-Class followed by the CLS, the B-Class, and the SLK followed by the E-Class coupe, lead the registration figures of their respective segments of Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

Unlike the total Western European market, Mercedes-Benz sales in Western Europe (without Germany) continued to develop well since the start of the year growing by 3.8%. Particularly in the UK and Switzerland Mercedes-Benz generated strong sales figures in April and the year-to-date. In the UK April deliveries were up 13.9% year-on-year; in Switzerland Mercedes-Benz even generated a 35.8% sales growth.

Due to the run-out of the high-volume B-Class, as well as the recent launch of the M-Class and the start of the locally manufactured GLK, these very popular models only had a limited availability in China (incl. Hong Kong) last month. Overall, sales amounted to 14,677 units (-11.2%). Since the beginning of the year, 66,005 cars have been delivered to customers in China – more than ever before during this period. Thus, Mercedes-Benz is well on track to achieve its goal of record double-digit growth in China in 2012.

Japan also developed very well, where the company delivered 12,392 vehicles between January and April, increasing sales by 38.5%.

In terms of products, the B-Class continues to enjoy strong demand. Since its market introduction far more than 45,000 units of the new model have been sold.

The other Mercedes-Benz series are also very popular among customers. Since the start of the year, the C-Class segment has grown by 22.5%; in April the growth rate was 10.5%. The sedan and estate of the E-Class passed significant sales milestones last month. Since market launch 2009, 500,000 sedans and 100,000 estates of the current generation have been delivered to customers.
The S-Class sedan generated 14.1% sales growth between January and April. Thus, the brand’s flagship remains the leader in its segment. In addition to this outstanding sales development S-Class made additional good news in April. The S250 CDI BlueEfficiency won the award “World Green Car of the Year 2012.” Besides the S-Class sedan, numerous other models of the Mercedes-Benz brand took top honors in their category.

Demand for SUVs remains particularly high. In April and year-to-date, sales records were achieved once again. In April, 21,437 models (+9.1%) were sold in the SUV segment; in the first four months of 2012 sales accounted to 80,553 units (+8.0%). Especially the new M‑Class is developing very dynamically. In April, one third more vehicles (32.3%) of this series were sold than in April 2011. The sales of the GL and the G-Class also performed very well, increasing in April by 54.6% and 20.4% respectively.

The smart fortwo continued its positive development in the month of its facelift. With 9,557 vehicles sold, sales grew by 2.3%. Since the start of the year, sales totaled by 6.4% (36,532 units). In April, the demand for the innovative two-seater was particularly strong in the U.S. with growth of 63.6% as well as in China (incl. Hong Kong) at 41.5%, and Germany at 14.6%.

Overview of Mercedes-Benz Cars unit sales

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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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

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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