Mercedes-Benz posts double-digit sales growth in May

Mercedes-Benz continued its strong growth with sales of 170,625 vehicles in May, its highest in the month (up 12.9%). The German carmaker achieved record unit sales in each of Europe and Asia-Pacific last month and it was also the market leader in the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia and Taiwan in May.

In the period of January through May, 818,175 vehicles with the three-pointed star were sold (up 12.3%), more than ever before in the first five months of a year.

Commenting on the sales, Ola Kallenius, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales said, “Our double-digit growth in Europe and Asia-Pacific made a major contribution to the strong unit sales of Mercedes-Benz in May. And we have big plans. Following the strong market launch of the E-Class Saloon in Europe, we are now presenting the new E-Class Estate to the public for the first time. More than 1.6 million Saloons and Estates of the 212 predecessor series have been sold by today. We are sure the new generation of the E-Class will continue its strong heritage successfully.”

Sales by region and market

Sales in Europe increased by a 14.2% to 74,268 units in May. This was primarily due to double-digit growth in the major markets of Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Belgium. In the carmaker’s home market, 23,343 vehicles were sold, up 4.9%.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Mercedes-Benz sold 57,438 vehicles in May (up 24.2%). In China, the biggest market, Mercedes-Benz achieved a new record of more than 38,000 vehicles sold (up 38.9%). Also in Japan, Taiwan and Australia, the Stuttgart-based company achieved its highest May to date sales.

However in the NAFTA region, 34,323 units of Mercedes-Benz models were sold in May (down 0.5%) with 29,299 of those sold in the USA, down 1%.

Sales by model

Sales of Mercedes-Benz compact cars increased to a new high in May, with total sales of 53,618 units, up 15.6%. The A- and B-Class, the CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA were particularly popular in China, where unit sales more than doubled in May.

The E-Class saloon and estate were among the best-selling Mercedes-Benz models in May. Growth was especially strong in Europe last month, the first full month of sales of the new E-Class saloon. Since 2009, more than 1.6 million saloons and estates of the predecessor model of the E-Class have been sold.

Meanwhile, SUVs continued to make significant contributions, with sales of 58.517 units last month. This means that May of last year – the previous strongest-selling May – was surpassed by 42%. In Great Britain, Australia and South Korea, unit sales more than doubled compared with the prior-year month. The strongest growth in May was posted by the GLC, which is also available globally as a plug-in hybrid: the GLC 350 e 4MATIC.

smart

Sales of the smart fortwo and forfour models increased at a significantly double-digit rate in May: 12,822 cars were sold to customers worldwide (+15.1%). The smart models were especially popular in the Asia-Pacific region, where unit sales increased by more than 50% last month.

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