0 Mercedes-Benz sells more vehicles than ever before in the first half of 2013

In the first half of 2013, Mercedes-Benz posted yet another record with sales of 694,433 vehicles (+6.4%). With 131,609 units sold, sales in June also reached record level (+8.3%), not least through strong growth in China (+16.0%). The growth in the first six months of the year was driven primarily by the stable gains in many European markets and the USA. Mercedes-Benz posted a strong first half in the BRIC states as well. In addition, the brand with the star maintained market leadership in Germany, the USA and Japan and managed to gain further market shares in nearly all Western European markets.

“The first half of 2013 went very well for Mercedes-Benz. We continued to grow in many markets and were able to post a new record“, said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We also want to continue to grow in the second half. In particular, the new E-Class, S-Class and our new compact cars will provide perceptible momentum as they become available in increasingly more markets in the coming months.“

Mercedes-Benz performed very well in the volatile market environment of Europe with sales of 327,988 vehicles in the first half of the year (+4.2%). The brand won market shares in many markets in June as well. Since the beginning of the year the company posted particularly strong sales growth in UK (+15.0%), Belgium (+19.6%), Russia (+19.9%) and Turkey (+75.1%). In Germany, Mercedes-Benz delivered 124,324 vehicles to customers
(-3.3%) in the first half, thus developing better than the significantly declining overall market (-8.1%). With a market share of nearly 10% in June, Mercedes-Benz once again defended its position as the most registered premium brand in Germany.

The last six months developed particularly satisfactorily in the USA where, with sales of 141,950 units, Mercedes-Benz was more successful than ever before in its largest sales market (+10.4%). The brand also posted strong increases in Latin America, and grew sales in Brazil by 51.7% and in Argentina by 95.1%.

In the Asia/Pacific region, Mercedes-Benz posted stable growth in the first half (+6.7%), due in particular to sales in Japan (+26.5%) and India (+16.4%). The brand’s sales are also developing very strongly in China (incl. Hong Kong), where Mercedes-Benz posted a double-digit growth in June (+16.0%) and achieved sales of 19,549 vehicles. Since the beginning of the year 98,914 cars have been delivered to customers. Just a few weeks ago, Daimler AG again underlined the importance of the Chinese market and has been strengthening it with a proprietary functional unit for China at central sales.

The new compacts of Mercedes-Benz were in special demand in the first half of 2013 with total deliveries of 173,362 vehicles of the A-Class, B-Class and the CLA coupe (+58.0%).

The new E-Class family is also meeting with enthusiastic response from customers. In June, already 21,910 sedans and estates were delivered to customers (+5.0%). In the beginning of June, the coupe and cabrio also promptly opened the summer season in the European markets. The two variants are among the ‘dream cars’ with the star, a general term used by the brand for its coupe, cabrio and roadster models series. Overall, since the beginning of the year, already 85,000 dream cars were handed over to customers, which corresponds to a market share of around 50% compared to the core competitors.

Mercedes-Benz will celebrate the dealer premiere of its new flagship in Germany in a few weeks: On July 20th the new S-Class will be brought into the showrooms for the first time. Even before market launch, 20,000 orders have already been received. Just recently, the luxury sedan of Mercedes-Benz won two first places in the Automotive Brand Contest 2013, and is thus distinguished as “Best of the Best“ in the categories of Exterior Design and Interior Design.

Sales for the SUVs from the brand with the star again grew significantly in the first half of 2013 to 156,055 units (+21.4%). The GL, which has sold more than 250,000 times since its market launch in 2006, posted a sales record with 35.1% growth in the last six months. The M-Class is the best-selling vehicle of its class with nearly 60,000 customer deliveries since the beginning of the year. The GLK is also becoming increasingly popular with customers (+32.2% since the beginning of the year). Just recently, the compact SUV was ranked first in its class in the J. D. Power IQS Study (Initial Quality Study), in which the market research company measures the delivery quality of new vehicles after a 90-day holding period.

The compact two-seater smart fortwo also won first place in the prestigious J. D. Power Quality Study in the “City Car“ category. The smart fortwo was delivered to customers 51,867 times since the beginning of the year (-6.7%).

Overview of sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Mercedes-Benz sells more vehicles than ever before in the first half of 2013

0 Mercedes-Benz USA Posts Best Second-Quarter Finish With June 2013 Sales of 24,415 Units

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported combined sales of 27,162 for June, a 7.0% increase over the same month last year. Sales totals at Mercedes-Benz rose 9.8% to 24,415, bringing year-to-date volumes for the brand to a milestone 141,950 units. Sprinter Vans posted strong year-to-date sales of 9,483, which combined with year-to-date sales of 4,459 from smart to bring MBUSA's first-half total to 155,892. This marks the best second-quarter finish in the company's history and the sixth consecutive month of best-ever sales for 2013.

"We're on record pace through June hitting the highest first-half sales in our 48-year history and we're not slowing down," said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA. "Consumer confidence is on the rise, our product portfolio is expanding from top to bottom, and our dealer relations are at an all-time high. This is a set of ingredients that will allow us to really accelerate our market momentum into another banner year."

Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. Volume leaders for the month were the C-, E- and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class—the current gateway to the brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers—took the top spot at 7,639 units, up 17.4% from June 2012. The completely redesigned E-Class followed at 5,181, while MBUSA's top-selling SUV, the M-Class, finished the top three with sales of 3,651 (up 26.3% from June 2012). Strong performers at the high end included Mercedes-Benz's iconic grand tourer, the SL-Class, up 91.9%, and the award-winning GL-Class SUV which increased 24.8% over the same time last year.

As a whole, sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars jumped 10.2% compared to the first-half of 2012, increasing from 82,275 in June of last year to 90,650. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz's light truck offerings posted a year-to-date increase of 10.6%, from 46,319 units sold in the first six months of 2012 to 51,300 during the same period this year.

The Sprinter model line saw sales of 1,966 for the month, while smart posted volumes of 781 units.

Sales of the company's BlueTEC diesel models were 1,414 for the month, up 10.2% from the same period last year. On the high-performance side, AMG models finished the month of June with sales of 464.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 7,773 vehicles in June; an increase of 17.9% when compared to June 2012 (sales of 6,593 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 49,004 vehicles, an increase of 24.3% over the comparable period (with sales of 39,419 vehicles).

Mercedes-Benz USA June 2013 Sales Chart

Credits: Mercedes-Benz USA

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Mercedes-Benz USA Posts Best Second-Quarter Finish With June 2013 Sales of 24,415 Units

0 Record success: Best ever first half-year for Mercedes-Benz UK

- Most successful six months Mercedes-Benz has ever had – 53,686 cars registered
- Best Q2 results ever – 25,470 cars registered Best market share for June – 4.4 per cent
- Mercedes-Benz UK car registrations out-perform the market, rising 18.5 per cent for June and 14.8 per cent for the year-to-date
- C-Class Coupé, E-Class Coupé, E-Class Saloon, CLS-Class and SL-Class lead their respective market segments
- AMG continues strong performance in 2013 – registrations up 51.1 per cent for the month – remains the fastest-growing performance brand in the UK
- Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles post promising registrations – Citan has best month yet; significant gains made by Actros, Axor and Econic

Record success was spread across the range in June, as a diverse line-up of Mercedes-Benz models led their respective market segments, according to registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

New records were set as Mercedes-Benz UK achieved its best ever Q2 results, with 25,470 vehicles registered – leading to a record market share of 4.6 per cent for the year-to-date.

The C-Class Coupé, E-Class Coupé and Saloon, the CLS-Class and SL-Class all saw significant gains in June. Registrations of the SL-Class rose by 196.4 per cent to lead its highly competitive segment with a 36.8 per cent share.

In total, 9,469 cars were registered by Mercedes-Benz in June – contributing to an overall rise of 14.8 per cent for the year-to-date.

The sustained popularity of the B-Class continued, seeing a 41.7 per cent gain in registrations compared to the same time last year. Likewise, the A-Class had its most successful month since being introduced to the UK market in January. A total of 1,459 examples were registered in June, capturing 9.5 per cent of its market segment.

Performance brand, AMG, remained the fastest-growing performance brand in the UK, posting a rise of 51.1 per cent with the E 63 AMG Saloon emerging as one of the key contributors to the gain, achieving a 181.8 per cent rise in registrations. In total, 1,486 cars from AMG have been registered in 2013 – the first time such a figure has been reached so early in the year.

The regular E-Class has had its most successful year yet, with 14,140 examples registered to date, a rise of six per cent.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles posted strong results in June. The Citan van had its best month yet with over 200 examples being registered. Further up the scale, the Actros posted a rise of 62.7 per cent, registrations of the Econic rose by 53.1 per cent and the Axor by 127.7 per cent.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO Mercedes-Benz UK, commented: ‘Strong individual performances by key models across our passenger car and commercial vehicle operations, such as the Citan van, the new E-Class Saloon and the Actros as well as the continued great gains by AMG gave us a record performance in June and in the second quarter of the year. As we introduce the full range of A-Class models, build up volume on the CLA-Class and we look ahead to the arrival of the new S-Class later in the year, our diversity of products allows us to set new benchmarks and post a significant year-on-year gain and out-perform the market once again.

‘It’s been an exciting and busy first half to the year; since January, the Mercedes-Benz UK website has had over 1.2 million visits every month and, in May alone, nearly 50,000 eBrochure downloads took place – a new record. Our customer satisfaction scores have been very strong among our existing owners while at the same time the majority of those enquiring about the A-Class, introduced in January, have been new to Mercedes-Benz. And it’s not just new cars - used cars have benefited too, with a 51 per cent increase in searches on our online used car locator.

‘You don’t just need to take our word for it either – the A-Class was announced as the Best New Car at the Fleet World Honours – at the same time we were announced as the Most Improved Fleet Manufacturer, an award reflecting the significant growth we’ve seen in our fleet volumes. Along with my colleagues at Mercedes-Benz UK and throughout the Retailer network, I will be working hard to sustain and build on this great momentum as we look forward to a successful second half to the year.’

Credits: Mercedes-Benz UK

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Record success: Best ever first half-year for Mercedes-Benz UK

0 Paddy Lowe to join MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS on 3 June

Agreement has been reached between MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for Paddy Lowe to join the team on 3 June.

Paddy will strengthen MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in the role of Executive Director (Technical) and will work closely with Team Principal, Ross Brawn; Executive Director (Business), Toto Wolff; and the team’s senior technical management. As Team Principal, Ross Brawn will retain overall responsibility for technical and sporting matters.

Paddy Lowe commented: “I am excited to become part of a highly talented and capable technical organisation. The team has already produced probably the fastest car of the 2013 season while the technical challenges of the new regulations for 2014 will give us the opportunity to maximise the synergies available to a works manufacturer. That is a challenge I am relishing. I have worked closely with Mercedes-Benz for almost 20 years and deeply admire the company’s phenomenal commitment to Formula One. I look forward to much success together in the years ahead.”

Team Principal Ross Brawn commented: “I am delighted to welcome Paddy to the team and to begin working together. He has an excellent record of success in the sport and would be an asset to any of our rivals in the pit lane. It is no secret that every team is facing a significant balancing act between this year and next. But it is perhaps less obvious that we will also see major changes for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as development progresses with the new generation of car design and Power Unit. To deliver in these circumstances, a successful team needs strength in depth. Paddy’s arrival will further strengthen our organisation and puts us in a strong position for the future.”

~ Official photo and details courtesy of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS ~

Copyright © 2013, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Detail: Paddy Lowe to join MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS on 3 June