Mercedes-Benz posts best-ever sales in its history

Mercedes-Benz sold more cars than ever before in 2014. The brand with the star delivered 1,650,010 vehicles to customers (+12.9%) and achieved the fourth record year in a row. Record sales were posted in every month of the year 2014 – including in December with 163,171 units sold (+17.2%). The past year ended for the Stuttgart-based company with the strongest sales month and the best quarter (454,854 units) in the company’s history.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: "Mercedes-Benz is on a course of success. The best sales in our company's history show that our product offensive is bearing fruit. Our new models are extremely popular among our customers. The success is due in particular to our compact cars, the new C-class and the S-class. We have managed to grow unit sales in all core markets. In 2015, we will continue our product offensive in the SUV segment. We expect additional sales momentum by the SUVs, the full availability of the new C-class, the compact cars and the two smart models."

"Our product offensive is still running at high speed. Until 2020, we will bring at least 11 new models without a predecessor to the market," says Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales. "Our new products will ensure further growth through 2020 as will the consistent alignment of all marketing channels to the changing customer wishes and needs", adds Källenius.

High sales growth in European markets
In the overall European market, unit sales increased by 9.4 percent in 2014 and are thus significantly above the general market growth. In December, 66,777 vehicles were handed over to customers in Europe (+21.5%). In the toughly competitive German market, Mercedes-Benz continued to defend its market leadership among the premium manufacturers in 2014. Sales in Germany jumped by 13.6 percent in December. In the United Kingdom, the second largest European market of the company, 2014 was another record year for unit sales, with a total of 123,480 vehicle deliveries to customers (+14.6%). The company also posted record high sales in Portugal (+45.7%), Switzerland (+15.8%) and Belgium (+8.0%). Unit sales in Spain grew by more than 30%.

Sales records in the two largest markets: USA and China
In 2014, unit sales in the NAFTA Region totaled 373,291 vehicles (+5.8%), of which 330,391 were in the USA alone (+5.7%). Thus, the USA has maintained its position as the largest sales market of Mercedes-Benz. New records were posted in the USA, Canada and Mexico in the past year. In Canada, Mercedes-Benz holds the market leadership among the premium manufacturers.

For the first time, China outpaced Germany as the second largest market in 2014. With 281,588 vehicles sold, sales in China have never been so high (+29.1%). The C-class long-wheelbase version is available there since August. New sales records were posted in 2014 in Japan and Australia, where Mercedes-Benz is market leader among the premium manufacturers. Total sales in the Asia-Pacific region grew by 25.7% to 491,321 units.

In India, Mercedes-Benz announced its strongest sales year in the company’s history in the country by posting sales of 10,201 units. This is a growth of 13 percent over the corresponding period of 2013 (January-December 2013: 9,003 units). The year 2014 was the second consecutive year that Mercedes-Benz has posted double-digit growth in India.

New compact cars as growth drivers
The compact car segment, which was extended by the GLA in March, was particularly successful in 2014. Unit sales grew by 24.7% to 463,152 vehicles of the A-, B-, CLA- and GLA-class. Mercedes-Benz has never before delivered so many compacts to customers in a single year. With the CLA Shooting Brake, the fifth compact car model will be launched in spring of 2015.

Meanwhile, the C-class sedan maintained its position as the top-volume model of Mercedes-Benz again in 2014. The new sedan is the first vehicle to be produced on four continents. The annual sales of the new sedan and the new estate, which came on the market in March and September 2014, rose by 4.4% to 316,792 units in the past year. Sales in December even increased by nearly 50 percent compared to the previous year's month. In 2015, the company expects additional sales momentum from this model series through the full availability of the two new models and further engines.

With sales of 257,571 units, the E-class sedan and estate made a significant contribution to the good sales result of the past year (+6.2%). The E-class long-wheelbase version, which is offered in China, was especially popular: The demand for this model jumped by 49.8 percent to 56,344 vehicles sold. ‘

Of note is that the S-class continued to be the best-selling luxury sedan in the world. In the past year, unit sales of the S-class sedan skyrocketed by 82.2 percent to 103,737 vehicles sold. The new Mercedes-Maybach S 600 will celebrate its market launch in 2015. In November, the first model of the new sub-brand Mercedes-Maybach was presented to the public for the first time in Guangzhou and Los Angeles.

The SUV boom continues
SUV sales in 2014 reached a new record of 341,788 vehicles (+5.3%). Record high sales were posted by the GLK-class (+7.7%), the M-class (+8.7%) and the G-class (+10.4%).

Overview of sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars