Mercedes-Benz Posts New Sales Record in February 05.03.2012: Strong Start Into The Year Continue Dr. Joachim Schmidt:

Strong Start Into The Year Continue

    Dr. Joachim Schmidt:

        “In February we have further improved the good result of the previous month and again had a record month with a sales increase of 20.3%. Thus, we are well on track to achieve our objective of a new sales record in the first quarter.”

        “Particularly well is the development of the new B-Class, which again met excellent customer response in February. Since market launch we have already recorded 100,000 orders. Further momentum will also be gained from the new model series in the coming months.”

    Strong growth in Germany (+21.6%), China (+57.5%) and the United States (+16.9%)

    Almost twice as many S-Classes delivered to customers as in the same month last year smart posts double-digit sales growth again (+19.9%)


After record sales in January, Mercedes-Benz reached new heights in February, to which all regions have contributed, as well . The brand with the star delivered a total of 95,647 units to customers. With an increase of 20.3%, February was the highest-growth month since January 2011.


Since the beginning of 2012 sales have risen by 12.6% to 182,568 passenger cars. The company also saw more sales in the Mercedes-Benz Cars division than ever before in the month of February, handing over a total of 104,073 Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brand vehicles (+20.3%) to their new owners. The sales increase in the last two months amounted to 12.9% (198,599 units).


Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “In February we have further improved the good result of the previous month and again had a record month with a sales increase of 20.3%. Thus, we are well on track to achieve our objective of a new sales record in the first quarter. Particularly well is the development of the new B-Class, which again met excellent customer response in February. Since market launch we have already recorded 100,000 orders. Further momentum will also be gained from the new model series in the coming months.”


Mercedes-Benz enjoyed a strong February with record unit sales in China (incl. Hong Kong). A total of 19,205 customers (+57.5%) in the “Middle Kingdom” opted for a new car with a star. Mercedes-Benz also posted a new sales record (+30.1%) in Russia in February. Particularly dynamic was the growth in Taiwan (+24.9%) and Japan (+31.4%).


In the US, Mercedes-Benz continued its excellent performance of recent months in February. With 18,080 vehicles delivered, unit sales rose by 16.9%. Thus, Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles than ever before in this period. Also in the rest of the NAFTA countries Mercedes-Benz is on a success track. New sales records were set both in Canada (2,158 units; +18.4%) and Mexico (533 units; +22.8%) in February.


The February performance was also excellent in the Middle East region, with a 17.9% rise in unit sales.


As in January, Mercedes-Benz continued its double-digit sales growth on its domestic market in February with a total of 17,993 customers in Germany choosing a car with a star (+21.6%). Thus, the brand is still the leading premium automaker on its biggest market. With sales growth of 9.3% and unit sales of 19,668 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz also sported a winning performance in Western Europe (excluding Germany) in February.


Especially in France (+36.9%) and Switzerland (+46.2%) the Stuttgart car manufacturer saw excellent growth rates. Thus, the brand’s sales in Switzerland have been at a record high since the beginning of the year. Mercedes-Benz also posted a positive trend in the UK (+12.6%).


The new B-Class was especially popular among model series in February with a 8.2% sales increase to 9,902 units. Sales of the C-Class sedan together with the C-Class estate amounted to 22,881 models (+15.2%) in February. The SLK also posted an extremely positive performance in February, more than tripling its unit sales.


In the same month, the E-Class sedan and its estate stepped up their sales by 22.0% (19,011 units). The February development of the S-Class was outstanding as well: With a total of 9,482 units (+89.4%), almost twice as many models of the brand’s flagship as in the same month last year were handed over to customers. Thus, the S-Class achieved record sales in February as well as since the beginning of the year.


After the record year 2011, Mercedes-Benz SUV sales are also developing excellently in 2012. Sales were at a record high in February (16,679 units; +3.0%) and since the start of the year (34,856 units; +2.2%). The G-Class climbed by 33.1%, while GL sales rose by 9.2% and the M-Class by 20.5%. Considering that the M-Class is not even fully available on all markets yet due to its gradual launch.


The smart fortwo continued its brilliant start into the year in February. With 8,426 vehicles sold, unit sales again saw double-digit growth (+19.9%). The two-seater continues to attract a great deal of attention, especially among Chinese customers who bought with1,459 units twice as many (+103.2%) vehicles as in February 2011. The smart fortwo was also very popular in the US (+58.9%), in France (+44.3%), and in Italy (+18.5%). The same is true for Germany, where February sales surged by 13.2% to 2,122 units.






- Mercedes-Benz-