Mercedes-Benz started the third quarter with a new sales record for the month ofJuly: A total of 188,857 cars with the three-pointed star were delivered (+12.7%). The ongoing model changes in the high-volume compact-car segment had a positive impact on unit saleslast month. There were also significant increasesin worldwide unit sales inJuly of the S-ClassSaloon (+17.7%), the E-ClassSaloon and Estate (+11.1%) and the C-ClassSaloon and Estate (+10.4%). Double-digit growth in unit sales was achieved in all regions and core markets inJuly. In the first seven months of the year, Mercedes-Benz defended its market leadership in the premiumsegment in markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, South Korea and Canada.
“We are very satisfied with the start to the third quarter. Thebest July of all time for Mercedes-Benz unit sales confirms our positive expectations for the coming months,” stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. “I am delighted with the great response from customers to our new compact cars and that the improved availability of our new SUVs has already had an impact on sales. And the Mercedes-Benz luxury and full-size saloons, the S-Class and the E-Class, were also very popular in July.”
In theEuroperegion, 73,633 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were sold inJuly (+12.3%). Sales of 26,331 unitsinGermany,the domestic market,were 18.2% higher than in the prior-year month. With 173,682 cars with the starsoldfromJanuarytoJuly, unit sales were at the prior-year level again. Unit sales increased inJuly in nearly allEuropean markets. Compared with July 2018,double-digit growth rates were achieved in markets includingFrance, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Sweden. Last month was the best-ever July inthe United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, Denmark and Hungary.
A newJulyrecord was set for deliveries in the Asia-Pacificregion, where 82,039 cars with the star were handed over to customers (+11.6%). InChina,the region’s core market, the Stuttgart-basedcompany with the three-pointed star sold 59,435 vehicles inJuly (+13.0%). Mercedes-Benz thus set new records in China for cars delivered both in July and for the first seven months of the year(404,092 units, +2.9%). Mercedes-Benz started the third quarterwith best-ever unit sales inJulyalso in South Korea and Australia.
In theNAFTA region, the Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed starposted significant growth in unit sales inJuly: 29,241 cars delivered representan increase of 17.5% compared with the prior-year month. The strong development of sales inJulywas primarily driven by the region’s core market, theUnited States, where 24,612 cars with the star were sold last month (+22.9%). In the first seven months of the year, sales by Mercedes-Benz in the United Statestotalled 172,008 vehicles (-3.8%),a significant improvement of sales developmentcompared with the previous month June.
With sales of more than 55,000 units, thecompact carswith the starrecorded double-digit growth of 29.7% in July. Last month, the new B-Classactually achievedvery strong worldwide growthof 52.7%.The new B-Classhas been available also in Japan sinceJuly. In the first seven months of the year, more than 368,000 units of the A- and B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA were sold worldwide (+7.3%). The popularity of thenew A-Class continues, with growth in unit sales of 33.6% in the months of JanuarytoJuly. New records were therefore set by the compact carsboth forJulyand for the first seven months of the year.
Last month,approximately 5,800 units of theS-ClassSaloonwere sold worldwide (+17.7%). This growth was driven especially by China, the biggest sales market for the Mercedes-Benz luxury automobile. The S-Class Maybach also achieved strong growth worldwide in July.
In the SUVsegment,improved vehicle availability had a positive impact last month: sales of approximately 61,000 units of the GLA, GLC, GLC Coupé, GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS and G-Classwere just 1.2% below the prior-year level. Sales of the G-Classin the first seven months of the yearare already on the way to setting a new record in 2019: more than 20,000 unitswere sold worldwide fromJanuarytoJuly (+78.7%).
FromJanuarytoJuly, 69,329 cars from the smart brand were handed over to customers worldwide (-10.0%). Unit sales of thetwo-door and four-door urban microcars increased during that period in markets includingGermany (+8.2%), France (+22.3%), Portugal (+3.4%), Belgium (+6.9%), Switzerland (+14.7%) and Austria (+44.8%). The smart brandis transitioning topurely electric drive and will successively reduce its offering of models with combustion engines in all European markets until 2020.
