Mercedes-Benz record sales for the first half of 2012; up by 6.9 per cent

Mercedes-Benz remains on track for success, posting a new sales record for the first half of the year. From January to June, a total of 652,924 vehicles (+6.9 per cent) were sold. In June, with 121,542 units sales were slightly above previous year's record level (+0.9 per cent).


The first two quarters of 2012 also witnessed the highest-volume sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division in the company's history. During the first six months of the year, the company sold 708,517 units (+6.5 per cent) of the brands Mercedes-Benz, smart, and Maybach, with the month of June accounting for 131,139 of these vehicle sales (+0.2 per cent).

"Despite difficult market conditions in Southern Europe, we remain on course for record sales, and with a growth in sales of 6.9 per cent in the first half of the year we have achieved the best sales results so far. Over the next few months, the market launch of the new A-class in particular will provide a further boost to sales. This means we are well on track this year to surpassing the 2011 sales record. Also in June, Mercedes-Benz sales were slightly above previous year's high level," said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The strongest driver of the positive trend in Mercedes-Benz sales in the first six months of the year was the US market, where the company posted a new record with 128,595 passenger cars delivered (+15.9 per cent). This makes Mercedes-Benz the premium brand with the highest number of new vehicle registrations in 2012. Besides the US, there were also extremely positive trends in the other NAFTA region markets. New sales records were set for the year to date in Canada (15,944 units, +9.9 per cent) as well as in Mexico (3,431 units; +28.1 per cent).

Besides the NAFTA region markets, Mercedes-Benz also sold more vehicles between January and June than ever before in China (including Hong Kong) as well as in Russia. A total of 99,391 units (+7.8 per cent) were delivered to customers in the Chinese market, while in Russia the growth in sales was 27.6  per cent. The brand with the star also performed strongly in Japan, where sales for the first half of the year were up by 27.5 per cent. Thus, Mercedes-Benz ranks number one among premium manufacturers on the Japanese market.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz has been the most successful premium brand concerning new vehicle registrations since the beginning of the year. Over this period, the company has sold 128,529 passenger cars (+4.5 per cent) on the domestic market.

In the western European region (without Germany), Mercedes-Benz in the first half of the year sold a total of 155,555 units in the face of declining market trends, and thus gained market shares. Despite the difficult market conditions, sales were therefore on previous year's level (+1.1 per cent). The brand continued to sell exceptionally well in the United Kingdom, where a new sales record was set with an increase in sales of 11.4 per cent. The same applies to Switzerland, with a growth in sales of 35.9 per cent for the first half of the year.

The B-class remains a top seller among the different model series. More vehicles were sold in the month of June and over the first half of the year than ever before in these periods. Last month alone, the growth in sales was 42.9 per cent (14,629 units), while 68,950 units (+9.7 per cent) have been sold since the beginning of the year.

The vehicles from the C-class segment were also key growth drivers in the first half of the year, with a growth in sales of 14.9 per cent. Additionally, the C-class models celebrated a sales jubilee in June: as of last month, more than two-million customers are enjoying driving a sedan, estate, or coupe model from the new model series. Furthermore, the C-class coupe and the SLK were the top-selling vehicles in their segments in the first half of 2012.

In the E-class segment, the CLS scored top marks with strong sales figures. Between January and June, deliveries of the four-door coupe increased by 38.9 per cent. Therefore, the CLS also topped sales in its competitive segment. The same is true for the S-class sedan, which also posted higher sales figures in the first half of the year. Since the start of the year, 37,539 units of the brand’s flagship model have been sold (+4.4 per cent). Thus, as in the previous year, the S-class once again was the top-selling model in its segment. Meanwhile, the new SL is still generating a very positive response from customers. Sales of the sporty roadster rose by +78.7 per cent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.

Mercedes-Benz SUVs remain on the track to success. The record sales figures from 2011 were surpassed both for June and for the first six months of the year. Results were supported by high growth in sales, for example with the M-class (+32.7 per cent), the G-class (+18.5 per cent), and the GL-class (+7.2 per cent). Recently saw the market launch of the next-generation GLK. This model series and the new
G-class, which will be launched in the next few months, as well as the completely new GL-class, will positively influence brand sales even further over the rest of the year.

smart is still on track to maintaining its good sales level from last year. A total of 55,593 units (+1.4 per cent) of the city runabout were handed over to customers in the first half of 2012, with the figure for June at 9,597 vehicles. The innovative two-seater achieved a particularly strong growth in sales between January and June in the US (+85.8 per cent), China (including Hong Kong) (+59.3 per cent), and Mexico (+23.9 per cent). At the same time, the sales figures in China and Mexico set new records for the first 2012 half-year. Another notable development was the increase in sales of the smart fortwo last month in the US, where shipments of the model more than tripled (+208.2 per cent).

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