Mercedes-Benz sold 116,566 vehicles in April, 11.7% more than in any previous April

Stuttgart, 8-5-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Mercedes-Benz delivered 116,566 vehicles to customers in April (+11.7%), more than in any previous April. Unit sales since the beginning of the year totaled 441,464 vehicles (+5.6%). The brand with the star was able to grow strongly, especially in the NAFTA region, Russia and the Asian markets. In April, Mercedes-Benz also posted double-digit sales in Europe, gained market shares, and secured its market leadership in several markets at the same time. On the domestic market Mercedes-Benz maintained its position as the premium manufacturer with the highest new vehicle registrations, holding a market share of 9.6% in April and 9.4% per April. The new Mercedes-Benz compacts and SUVs posted significant new growth and the launches of the new E-Class models and the CLA were very successful.

„April was a very successful month for the Mercedes-Benz brand. We again posted new records in many growth markets and are thus continuing the positive sales trend“, said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales and Marketing. „We are particularly pleased that we are growing in the difficult market environment in Europe and have gained market shares in many markets. Our new products are enjoying an excellent response from our customers, and we are already feeling the first sales impetus from the new E-Class and the CLA.“

Mercedes-Benz sold 56,988 vehicles in Europe in April, thus achieving growth of 11.8%. The brand posted significant gains particularly in Russia (+18.1%) and Turkey (+78.5%), as well as in the UK (+14.5%), France (+19.8%) and Belgium (+11.1%). Also in Germany the brand with the star posted growth (+6.3%) and secured its market leadership among the premium manufacturers with a market share of 9.6% in April.

In the USA, Mercedes-Benz again posted a new sales record with 23,635 vehicles sold (+5.8%) and was once more the premium manufacturer with the highest new vehicle registrations. April sales also moved very strongly in Latin America with more than twice as many vehicles sold than in the same month of the prior year.

The growth in the Asia/Pacific region was driven mainly by Japan (+47.3%) and South Korea (+42.4%). The start into the second quarter was also positive in China (incl. Hong Kong), where Mercedes-Benz posted 10.7% growth with sales of 16,241 units, thus continuing the positive trend of the preceding month.

Among the model series of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the new compacts continued to sell especially well with deliveries of 107,488 units of the A-Class, B-Class and the CLA (+52.0%) since the beginning of the year. The A-Class celebrated its market premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show in China two weeks ago and is now also available on the Chinese market. The popularity of the A-Class on its domestic market was proven in April by a poll of the Europe-wide online car market AutoScout24. About 223,000 users in eight European countries voted and elected the Mercedes-Benz A-Class the “Best Car” from 55 new releases in 2012. The third model of the new compacts, the CLA, had its launch in mid April amidst enthusiastic customer reviews. With the coupe’s positioning as a sports car, Mercedes-Benz is targeting a young, lifestyle-oriented target group to attract new customers for the brand with the star.

The new E-Class also celebrated its premiere at European dealers few weeks ago and is meeting with an excellent response from customers. Overall, 17,379 E-Class sedans and estates were sold in April (+4.3%). The CLS also posted significant gains (+6.5%) and was the market leader in its comparative class in April.

The demand for the SUVs with the star is consistently high. Since January, 103,492 units were delivered to customers, 28.5% more compared to the prior-year period. The SUVs set yet another sales record in April (26,265 units, +22.5%).

The compact two-seater smart delivered 34,372 units to customers since the beginning of the year (prior year: 36,532 units). In its seventh year of sales, it is thus nearly constant at the prior-year level. In April, the Chinese government gave the go-ahead for the smart electric drive, which made smart the first European importer to offer a fully electric vehicle in the Middle Kingdom. In Germany, the smart electric drive advanced in a record short time to become the market leader among the pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

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