In May, Mercedes-Benz continued the dynamic sales growth of the prior months, increasing sales by 18 percent to 101,400 vehicles (May 2009: 86,300).
“Mercedes-Benz was able to grow faster than the overall market in May,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. “This excellent sales result keeps us on course for a strong second quarter, in which we will post double-digit growth. The success of our E-Class and S-Class models allows us to continuously improve our product mix and further improve our position in many markets. In May, our sales in all regions were above the level of the same month last year.”
Mercedes-Benz posted the greatest increase in sales in China (including Hong Kong), where the upward trend continues with record sales. Customers bought a total of 11,500 units in May, more than double the figure posted in the same month last year (May 2009: 5,200, plus 121 percent). Sales were also up in other markets in the Asia/Pacific region, with deliveries increasing by 21 percent in Japan and by 13 percent in Australia, where Mercedes-Benz was the market leader in May. Mercedes-Benz posted significant growth in all BRIC countries, with growth particularly strong in Russia (plus 101 percent). In South Africa, Mercedes-Benz was the premium brand with the highest market share and increased sales by 34 percent.
In the U.S., the second-largest individual market, Mercedes-Benz was the highest-volume German premium brand. Sales there totaled 18,500 units, an increase of 23 percent (May 2009: 15,100). This made Mercedes-Benz the market leader among the German premium brands.
In Western Europe (excluding Germany), Mercedes-Benz grew by nine percent overall, delivering 26,500 passenger vehicles to customers (May 2009: 24,300). All major markets grew, with sales up 18 percent in Italy, where Mercedes-Benz was the market leader in May, and five percent in France and in Spain. Deliveries in the UK were up slightly from the previous year.
In Germany, Mercedes-Benz sold 24,700 passenger vehicles in May (May 2009: 25,600, minus four percent). In a sharply declining overall market, Mercedes-Benz was able to post the greatest increase in market share among the premium competitors to a market share of 10.7 percent. Mercedes-Benz thus defended its position as the strongest premium brand in its domestic market and placed the S-Class, E-Class, E-Class coupe, C-Class, B-Class, and the smart fortwo at the head of their respective segments in terms of new vehicle registrations in May.
The strong growth in May was largely driven by the E-Class and S-Class models, with customer deliveries of the E-Class sedan rising by 39 percent to 17,700 units. That result once again put it ahead of its competitors worldwide. The same is true of the new E-Class estate, with almost four times as many vehicles delivered to customers in May compared to the same month last year. The S-Class sedan was also very successful, customer deliveries totaled 5,700 units, an increase of 41 percent from the previous year.
In the C-Class segment, the C-Class estate was particularly well received by the customers, growing by a strong 36 percent. In the SUV segment, all models posted sales growth, sales in the segment increased by 12 percent in May. And in the compact segment, the A- and B-Class models grew by a total of eight percent.
A total of 9,300 smart fortwo (May 2009: 11,000) were delivered to customers worldwide in May (minus 15 percent). The company expects sales of the smart brand to receive a boost from the market launch of the new-generation smart fortwo, which will start in the third quarter of 2010.
