The high volume segments - SUVs and compact cars - had an impact on the company's overall sales performance.
11 Mar 2019 | 5795 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
German car major Mercedes-Benz says in the first two months of 2019 it has sold over 333,229 cars worldwide (-6.7% YoY), including 152,690 three-pointed star vehicles (-6.7%) sold in February alone.
According to the luxury carmaker the model changes in the highest-volume segments - SUVs and compact cars - ...
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German car major Mercedes-Benz says in the first two months of 2019 it has sold over 333,229 cars worldwide (-6.7% YoY), including 152,690 three-pointed star vehicles (-6.7%) sold in February alone.
According to the luxury carmaker the model changes in the highest-volume segments - SUVs and compact cars - had an impact on sales in all regions last month. The global drop in unit sales compared with the same month of last year was largely due to the discontinuation of the predecessor models of the CLA and the GLE.
Meanwhile, the new B-Class had a positive effect on sales in Europe, with deliveries growing more than 16 percent in Europe in the month of market launch and in Germany more than 40 percent. Since the start of the year, Mercedes-Benz says it has been able to maintain its market leadership in the premium segment in markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, South Korea, Australia, the United States, Canada and South Africa.
Britta Seeger, member of the Board of Management of Daimler responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales, said: “We are delighted that the new B-Class has had such a positive impact on Mercedes-Benz unit sales so soon after the market launch in Europe. At the Geneva International Motor Show, we presented the latest generation of our top-selling SUV, the GLC, which will ensure further enthusiasm among our customers this year. We assume that the ongoing model changes will result in significant sales impetus in the coming months. At Mercedes-Benz, we continue to see strong demand worldwide for our current and new models.”
Germany registers best sales in a decade for Mercedes-Benz
In Europe, Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 63,560 vehicles in February (-0.1%). The model change of the GLE and the discontinuation of the previous model had an impact on sales in various European markets. In Germany, its home market, 23,119 cars with the three-pointed star were delivered, representing an increase of 7.3 percent, this the company says was the best February in the past ten years for unit sales in the country.
In the domestic market of Mercedes-Benz, the sales growth was driven in particular by the new A-Class, the new B-Class, and the new C-Class saloon and estate. In February, Mercedes-Benz says it was also able to increase its total unit sales in markets including France, Belgium, Russia, the Netherlands and Poland.
In the Asia-Pacific region, 59,253 cars were delivered to customers by Mercedes-Benz in February (-9.8%). In China, where sales are traditionally weaker in the month of the Chinese new year, 40,733 customer decided in favour of a car with the star (-5.4%). In the NAFTA region, Mercedes-Benz sold 25,757 cars delivered last month (-14.0%). In the core market, the United States, a total of 21,660 were delivered to customers, which was lower by 12.5 percent YoY. The model changes also had an impact in the USA, with a double-digit drop in unit sales of the GLE. Sales of the new C-Class Saloon increased at a double-digit rate in the USA in February.