Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Mercedes-Benz Cars Starts Second Quarter with 22 Percent Sales Increase


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

*
Mercedes-Benz brand deliveries in April up 16 percent to 105,400 units
*
Sales of new C-Class sedan and station-wagon models reach record level
*
With 13,600 vehicles delivered, smart fortwo April sales doubled

Stuttgart, May 06, 2008 � Combined sales of the four brands of Mercedes-Benz Cars (Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach) reached a total of 119,000 units for April, an overall increase of 22 percent from the 2007 figure (97,800). Since the beginning of the year, Mercedes-Benz Cars has thus delivered 437,700 vehicles, representing a 14 percent increase compared to the same period last year (384,600).


Sales of Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles were up16 percent in April with 105,400 deliveries (April 2007: 90,600). In the first four months of the year, a total of 395,100 customers worldwide chose a vehicle with the star, an increase of eight percent on the figure for the same period last year (365,000), reaching a new record.
The new C-Class continues to post very strong growth worldwide, with sales of sedan and station-wagon models for the month of April rising to a new record of 35,600 vehicles, an increase of 88 percent (April 2007: 18,900).

Also a big success with customers are the A- and B-Class models: due to the very positive sales situation in Western Europe (including Germany) deliveries worldwide rose by 18 percent to 23,800 vehicles in April (April 2007: 20,200). At the beginning of April, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the A-Class and B-Class models of the 2008 generation at the Leipzig International Motor Show (AMI). Deliveries of both vehicles will start at the end of June.

One year after the market launch of the new smart fortwo, sales remain exceptionally strong. With 13,600 vehicles, deliveries almost doubled compared to the same month last year (6,900) and posted a new record figure for the month. Following a successful market launch in the U.S. at the beginning of the year, the smart fortwo will now also be introduced in China in mid-2009.

Deliveries in Western Europe were up 21 percent to 63,000 vehicles (April 2007: 51,900). In Germany alone, sales increased by 46 percent to 31,700 units (April 2007: 21,700). This increase was the result of strong growth from the A-Class, B-Class, and C-Class, but also a strong market performance of the E-Class: 5,200 E-Class vehicles were sold in the month of April, an increase of 25 percent (April 2007: 4,200). The S-Class also remains very popular among German customers: Mercedes-Benz sales in the luxury segment in Germany rose by more than one-third in the month of April, to 1,400 units (April 2007:1,000).

Mercedes-Benz sales in the Asia/Pacific region climbed 24 percent to 11,800 vehicles, also reaching a new record (April 2007: 9,500). In the U.S., Mercedes-Benz delivered 20,300 models to customers (down three percent; April 2007: 20,900).

About Daimler
Daimler AG, Stuttgart, with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans, and Daimler Buses, is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the world�s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The Daimler Financial Services division offers a comprehensive range of financial services, including vehicle financing, leasing, insurance, and fleet management.
Daimler sells its products in practically all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. The company�s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, continued to make automotive history following their invention of the automobile in 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler willingly accepts an obligation to act responsibly toward society and the environment and to shape the future of safe and sustainable mobility with groundbreaking technologies and high-quality products. The current brand portfolio includes the world�s most valuable automobile brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion, and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, New York, and Stuttgart (stock exchange abbreviation DAI). In 2007, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of over 270,000 people. Revenues totaled �99.4 billion and EBIT amounted to �8.7 billion. Daimler is an automotive group with a commitment to excellence, and aims to achieve sustainable growth and industry-leading profitability.

Copyright � 2008, car-evolutioncars. All rights reserved.

No comments:

Post a Comment