Mercedes-Benz India on a roll, sells 11,869 units in first 9 months of 2017 (+19.6%)

Despite a tough marketing environment for luxury car manufacturers in India, Mercedes-Benz continues to post new sales records. The German carmaker has sold a total of 11,869 units in the January-September 2017 period, which marks robust 19.6 percent year-on-year growth.

This performance continues on the strong sales performance right from the beginning of the year. The Pune-based company had sold 7,171 vehicles in the January-June 2017 period (+8.7 percent), its highest ever half-yearly (H1) volume (January-June 2016: 6,597 units). In the year till date, the long wheelbase E-Class sedan is its best-seller, followed by the C-Class. The GLC remains the top-selling SUV in its portfolio, followed by the GLE.

Best third quarter in Mercedes-Benz's history
Meanwhile, with global sales of 220,894 vehicles in September (+4.5%), Mercedes-Benz has posted its 55th record month in succession. Between January to September, the German luxury carmaker has sold a total of 1,717,300 cars, 11.7 percent more than in the same period last year. The past three months were the best third quarter in the company’s history (573,026 units, +7.9%). In September, Mercedes-Benz was the top premium brand in several markets including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, Portugal, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

“Our customers’ enthusiasm for the SUVs from Mercedes-Benz is a great confirmation of our work. In September, we peaked again and delivered more than 78,000 SUVs to customers. This means we surpassed our previous best mark by more than 7,500 units,” said Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales.

Sales by region and market
In Europe, more than 100,000 customers bought a Mercedes in September (+2.3%), the best monthly sales for the first nine months of the year. With 722,972 units sold since January, the prior-year volume was surpassed by 8.0 percent. Of these, 230,980 cars were sold in Germany, 5.7 percent more than in the year-ago period. In the past month, new unit-sales records were set in France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Austria and Portugal.

Mercedes-Benz also achieved best-ever sales in September and the first nine months also in the Asia-Pacific region: 78,891 units  (+8.6%) and 661,131 in January-September 2017 (+22.9%). New sales records were posted for September and the first nine months of the year also in China, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and India. It is understood the carmaker has sold a total of 11,869 units (+19.6%) in India.  Demand in China rose at a double-digit rate with sales of 51,127 units last month and 442,899 units in the January-September period (+29.9%).

In the NAFTA region, Mercedes-Benz achieved a new high in September with sales of 34,698 units, reflecting the strong growth and best-ever sales figures in Canada and Mexico. In the USA, Mercedes-Benz delivered more than 29,000 vehicles in September and 242,250 in the first nine months of this year.

Sales by model
The E-Class Saloon and Estate posted their next sales record in September, with 32,178 units (+15.1%). Since the beginning of the year, their unit sales have risen by 57.4%, resulting in best-ever figures also for that period. More than twice as many units as in the first nine months of last year were sold of the long-wheelbase version of the E-Class Saloon, which is offered exclusively in China and India.

SUVs posted record sales in September and the first nine months of the year. In the past month, 78,277 SUVs were handed over to customers (+14.8%), approximately 7,500 more than in the previous bestselling month for the SUVs. This success was aided by best-ever unit sales of the GLA, the GLC, the GLC Coupé and the G-Class.

The dream cars of Mercedes-Benz posted an increase of 20.9 percent in September. Total sales of 131,572 of these models since the beginning of the year are 27.3 percent above the prior-year level. This September, the E-Class Cabriolet was launched in Germany and the USA and the new S-Class Cabriolet and Coupé were presented to the public for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show.