MERCEDES-BENZ MALAYSIA SETS FIRST HALF SALES BENCHMARK

With even more Malaysians opting to drive a Mercedes-Benz, the marque remains much sought after and continues to represent the bench mark in the premium & luxury cars segment.

 

Based on sales results of the first six months of 2010, the brand from Stuttgart is a class above the rest and has set the lead pace with its three-passenger car variants C-, E- and S-Class. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s uptrend performance from January to June 2010 helped the company accelerate sales by 29 per cent to 2417 units, compared to 1869 units delivered in the corresponding period last year. This is also spurred by stronger economic conditions which led to an uptrend in the automotive industry as a whole.

 

The C-Class led the premium automaker’s passenger car sales with 1097 units compared to 857 units in 1H09, registering an impressive 28 per cent growth. It was also buoyed by the introduction of C200 and CGI C250 Blue EFFICIENCY earlier this year.

 

The mid-range E-Class out-performed all in its segment with a robust 44 per cent increase having delivered 988 units to customers from 684 units last year. With the soon to be introduced new Cabriolet, the E-Class family will soon be complete. 
 

Meanwhile, the prestigious flagship S-Class continues to awe Malaysia’s top corporate and business luminaries with its renowned luxury and sophistication. It registered a commendable growth of over 10 per cent which accumulated to 158 units. The premium Mercedes-Benz SUVs kept up the pace with positive results in its competitive segment, while the family-oriented B-Class remained a favorite in its class.

 

Globally, Mercedes-Benz recorded the best month of June in the history of the company recording an increase in sales of 13 percent worldwide with 113,300 units delivered (2009: 100,300). In the first half of the year, sales of passenger cars were up in every region registering 15 percent growth compared to the same period last year, with 556,700 vehicles (2009: 483,300). The E- and S-Class continue to be the main growth drivers while sales in the BRIC countries grew significantly with Brazil posting 73 per cent growth, Russia at 76 per cent, India at 83 per cent and China at 120 per cent (60,500 units).

 

In the Asia/Pacific region, sales in Japan climbed 15 per cent, and in Australia and South Africa 22 per cent and 23 percent respectively. In the U.S, sales rose 22 per cent to 103,700 passenger cars (2009: 85,100), while in Canada sales went up by 19 per cent to 14,300 units (2009: 12,000). In Western Europe (not including Germany) sales were up by seven percent to 152,300 units (2009: 142,900). The UK recorded growth of nine percent, Spain 12 per cent, the Netherlands 26 per cent and Portugal 42 per cent.

However in Mercedes-Benz's homeland,. a seven percent decrease was in effect, only a total of 122,500 passenger cars (2009: 131,000) were delivered to customers.