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Mercedes-Benz sold 237,307 cars in March, surpassing its sales record from the prior-year month by 3.9%. March was the strongest-selling month that the company has ever achieved and the past three months were the most successful quarter of all time with a total of 594,304 customers taking delivery of their car with the three-pointed star (+6.0%). Mercedes-Benz was the premium-market leader with the most registrations in March in countries including Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada and Brazil.
“We once again emphasized our claim to leadership in the first quarter: With sales of more than 237,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in March, we achieved our strongest-selling month of all time and our best-ever quarter,” stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. “We started the spring season with our Mercedes-Benz dream cars worldwide: The new C-Class Cabriolet and Coupé were presented to the world public for the first time in New York and the new CLS has been available in Europe since March,” she continued.
Sales by region and market
In the Europe region alone, 109,252 cars with the star were sold last month, setting a new sales record for a month, and 238,131 units were sold in the first quarter (+2.1%). Germany was responsible for a large proportion of this success with a 5.2% increase in first-quarter sales to 74,262 units. In nearly all major European markets, Mercedes-Benz delivered more cars in the first three months of 2018 than in the prior-year period. New records were set for first-quarter unit sales in France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland and Portugal.
In the Asia-Pacific region, demand for cars with the star reached the new high of 88,976 units in March (+13.1%). Since the beginning of the year, 249,106 customers there were delighted to receive their new Mercedes-Benz (+13.5%) – more than ever before in the first quarter of a year. The biggest sales driver worldwide was China with a new record of 169,932 cars delivered from January to March (+17.2%).
More than two thirds of all the cars sold there were also produced in China. New sales records were set in the first three months of this year also in South Korea, India and Malaysia. In Thailand as well, Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles than in any previous first quarter. In order to satisfy the growing demand in that market, Daimler and its local partner Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP) will together invest more than 100 million euros in the production facility in Bangkok by 2020.
This investment will go into the expansion of the existing automobile plant and into a battery production facility at the location to ensure the availability of the latest technology for electrified vehicles and “EQ Power” plug-in hybrids from Thailand.
In the NAFTA region, 33,986 customers received their new cars with the star in March
(-2.7%) and 93,375 in the first quarter (-0.8%). The very high prior-year levels were therefore nearly matched. In the USA, Mercedes-Benz delivered a total of 78,474 cars in the first quarter (-0.8%). In the first quarter, Mercedes-Benz was the best-selling premium brand in the USA.
Sales by model
The SUVs from Mercedes-Benz constituted the most popular segment in the first quarter. In March, more than 80,000 units were sold for the first time in one single month (+13.9%). Also in the first quarter of this year they achieved a new sales record: A total of 211,636 customers chose an SUV with the three-pointed star (+12.5%). The current best selling SUV from Mercedes-Benz, the GLC, achieved unit sales 33.4% higher than the number sold in the first quarter of last year. Sales of the GLC Coupé also set a new first-quarter record.
The new S-Class contributed to the company’s success with strong growth rates. In the first quarter, demand for the luxury saloon was 29.4% higher than in the prior-year period at 22,691 units. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Saloon posted record sales in March and the first quarter, although its model change is coming up soon. In the first quarter, more than one in eight S-Class Saloons sold was a Mercedes-Maybach.
Mercedes-Benz increased its sales of roadsters, coupés and convertibles to 42,788 units in the first three months of this year (+4.0%). Nothing now stands in the way of the dream car season: The S-Class Coupé and Cabriolet are available in the United States as of now. The CLS is in the showrooms in Europe. And a few days ago, the new C-Class Coupé and Cabriolet were presented at the New York International Auto Show. The completely renewed C-Class family has therefore now been presented and should continue contributing to the sales growth at Mercedes-Benz.
smart
The current generation of the smart fortwo has already been on the market for four years. Nonetheless, the 30,000 mark was passed for the third time in succession in the first quarter, with 30,726 units of the smart fortwo und forfour handed over to customers (-10.0%). The urban microcar posted double-digit growth and a new sales record in Germany. Its success in the domestic market is partially due to strong demand for the electric smart models. Today, every third e-car sold in Germany is a smart: Since July 2017, we have sold more of the electric smart models of the current generation than of the predecessor in the years 2013 and 2014 together. These cars have been marketed under the EQ product and technology brand since March.
News from sales and service
The new Mercedes-Benz US headquarters, in which approximately 100 million US dollars have been invested, was inaugurated in March. MBUSA has its headquarters as well as its sales and marketing organization for Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans in Sandy Springs, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) outside Atlanta, with capacity for up to 1,000 people. More than 1,700 people work for MBUSA, with indirect employment to more than 25,000 at 381 dealerships nationwide.
Following the success of the first me Convention in Frankfurt last year, Mercedes-Benz and South by Southwest® (SXSW®) continue their partnership in 2018. In this context, the me Convention was a guest at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March. 10,000 visitors from more than 100 countries came to Palm Park to experience the me Convention spirit in Austin between 9 and 15 March. The me Convention offers an open and inspiring platform for creative people from various specializations and has a clear focus on dialogue, interaction, networking and entertainment. The next me Convention will be held in Stockholm from 4 to 6 September.
