The year 2019 was the ninth consecutive record year for Mercedes-Benz, with growth of 1.3% to a total of 2,339,562units delivered worldwide.
At the same time, Mercedes-Benz maintained its leading position among the luxury car brands for the fourth year in a row.
A statement explained that in all three of its main markets – China, Germany and the USA – the Stuttgart-based brand with the three-pointed star surpassed the high levels of the previous year. China, Mercedes-Benz’s largest market, remained the main growth driver, withsales of 693,443 units representing an increase of 6.2% and a new record year. Last year’s model offensive with a total of more than ten new or revised models led to a significant boost in unit sales, particularly of Compact Cars and SUVs, and contributed to the overall sales growth.
In full year 2019, Mercedes-Benz maintained its market leadership in the luxury segment in markets including Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and South Africa.
Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG said :“The ninth consecutive record year underscores once more the strong demand for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, even amidst far-reaching changes in the mobility landscape. In addition, Mercedes-Benz continues to be clearly the number one in the luxury market –this proves how valuable our brand is.2019 was a year of great challenges for the automotive industry. The next two years will also be characterized more than ever by the transformation of our industry. In thischallenging environment, we intend to further increase our unit sales and set the course for long-term competitiveness. With investments in new technologies and profitable sales growth, we are pavingthe way for Mercedes-Benz to lead the global luxury market as a pioneer of sustainable luxury also in an era of CO2-neutral mobility.”
Mercedes-Benz’s five largest markets last year were China, Germany and the USA followed by Great Britain and South Korea. The Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed starfinished the year with the highest annual unit sales in its history, as well as its best quarter ever (614,319 units, +3.2%). In the fourth quarter of 2019,
Mercedes-Benz sold for the first time more than 600,000 cars within a quarter. Inthe month of December,
205,968vehicles were sold and therefore the high prior-year level was almost achieved (-0.3%).
Britta Seeger, Member of the Boards of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Marketing and Sales:“In 2019, a particularly large number of customers in China, Germany and the USA decided in favour of a new vehicle from Mercedes-Benz: In each of these three major markets, we surpassed the high level of unit sales we achieved in the previous year.The ninth record year reflects, among other things, the success of our model offensive with Compact Cars and SUVs, which have delighted new and existing customers all over the world. We offer a broad product line-upwith innovative technology and emotional design, which means we have the right vehicle for every customer. This year, we want to further rejuvenate our product portfolio with more than ten new or revised models, including a specific focus on electrified models.”
In the Asia-Pacific sales region, a new record was achieved in 2019 with 977,922 units sold (+3.7%). In fact, more Mercedes-Benz vehicles were delivered in China than in any other market globally. A total of 693,443 cars were handed over to customers in China, an increase of more than 40,000 units compared with the previous year and a new record (+6.2%). Hereby, the strong product offensive, the localization strategy and the customer-centric operation remained key success factors in China; more than three-quarters of the vehicles sold there came directly from local production last year. China has been Mercedes-Benz’s largest sales market since 2015, with total annual unit sales almost doubling between 2015 and 2019. In South Korea, the second-largest market in the Asia-Pacific region, deliveries reached a new record high of 78,048vehicles in 2019 (+8.7%). Salesalso reached a new high in Vietnam.
In the Europe region, a total of 937,881 cars with the three-pointed star were delivered to customers in 2019- slightly above thehigh prior-year level (+0.4%). In Germany, its domestic market, Mercedes-Benz was able to surpass the previous year’s figure by more than 14,000 units due to sales growth ofCompact Cars and SUVs, delivering 318,353 vehiclesin the full year (+4.8%). This was the highest sales volume in Germany in the past ten years. In addition to Germany,Great Britain and France followed by Italy and Spain, are among the largest sales markets in the Europe region for the Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed star. In 2019, Mercedes-Benz set new sales records in countries including Switzerland, Poland, Denmarkand Hungary.
In the NAFTA region, 372,144new Mercedes-Benz vehicles were delivered to customers between January and December (-1.64%). Despite a challenging market situation,316,094 vehicles in the USA were sold and the high prior-year level surpassed by 135 units (+0.0%). In the second half of the year, Mercedes-Benz increased its deliveries in the USA in five out of six months. An increase in unit sales was therefore achieved in the fourth quarter (+1.7%). In Canada, Mercedes-Benz maintains its position as the top luxury car brand for the sixth consecutive year.
