- New generation C Class and new SLK get off to a great start
- Sales up in Germany and the U.S. in June
- smart reaffirms its growth forecast for 2004 following successful market launch of smart forfour
In the first half of 2004, Mercedes-Benz sold 522,500 passengers cars worldwide, compared to 552,800 automobiles during the same period last year. In June, 92,000 customers decided to buy a Mercedes model (June 2003: 93,700). Following a model-cycle-related drop in sales, the upward trend expected for the second half of the year in Germany, the brand’s largest sales market, is now assuming a concrete form. A total of 28,100 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars were delivered to German customers in June, up a good one percent on the result posted in June 2003 (27,700 passenger cars). The rise in sales was primarily due to the launch of the new generation C Class and the new SLK in Western Europe, both of which have been generating a tremendous customer response. According to the figures for new car registrations, the new generation of the C-Class sedan already achieved market leadership in the upper mid-range segment in Germany and Western Europe in May. Worldwide deliveries of C-Class vehicles rose by 16 percent to the record figure of 45,100 units in June. With 6,100 new registrations, the SLK meanwhile posted its second record-breaking month in a row. As a result, the SLK now has a market share of more than 43 percent in Germany and 32 percent in Western Europe as a whole, making the automobile the undisputed leader in its class.
The E-Class meanwhile remains the number 1 worldwide in the upper-range segment, with sales of 146,300 passenger cars through June 2004. This positive result is mainly attributable to the station wagon model, which achieved record sales of 28,300 vehicles in the first half of 2004. With global market shares of about 42 percent for the station wagon and over 33 percent for the sedan, the two E Class variants clearly dominate their respective market segments. The same is true of the S Class, which maintained its top position worldwide in the luxury segment by selling 45,000 units through June and achieving a current market share of 37 percent. Although the A-Class is now nearing the end of its lifecycle, its sales performance remained stable. A total of 69,300 units of the compact Mercedes-Benz model were sold in the first half of the year. The new Mercedes-Benz A Class, which was released for sale on June 21 and presented to the international media on June 28, will bring further growth potential during the second half of the year. The five-door model will hit showrooms on September 10, and the range will be expanded at the end of the year when the first three-door variant is launched.
In the United States, demand for Mercedes-Benz brand cars rose by 1.5 percent to 17,500 vehicles in June. As a result, customer deliveries totaled 103,200 units for the first six months as a whole (2003: 105,900 units). Record sales of the C Class sedan (28,600 cars, up 16 percent), the E Class (27,200 cars, up five percent) and the SL Class (7,000 cars, up 22 percent) all contributed substantially to the good development on the North American market.
From January to June 2004, Mercedes-Benz delivered 20,000 passenger cars to customers in Asia’s largest sales market, Japan, enabling the brand to maintain its leadership in the country’s premium segment. Mercedes Benz has also been picking up speed this year in the rapidly growing Chinese market, where sales in the first six months jumped by 70 percent to 5,500 passenger cars.
smart boosts sales by 19 percent in first half of 2004
The four-seater smart forfour will make a major contribution to the Mercedes Car Group’s expected sales growth in the second half of the year. About 12,000 units of this third production series have been already been delivered to customers since its launch in April. What’s more, orders already cover more than 70 percent of the 50,000 unit sales target for 2004. Boosted by the outstanding start of the new model, sales of the smart rose by 37 percent to 13,700 units in June. At 62,300 vehicles, deliveries during the first six months of 2004 exceeded the previous year’s result by 19 percent. Despite a difficult economic climate, sales are also developing favorably in Germany, where 21,400 smarts were delivered through June, or a good17 percent more than in the first six months of 2003. The increase in sales by 22 percent to 38,400 passenger cars in other Western European countries was primarily due to substantial growth in the UK (5,100 units, up 18 percent), Spain (3,900 units, up 72 percent) and Switzerland (2,000 units, up 115 percent).
The open-top smart models are selling well, and considerably more than 50,000 smart fortwo convertibles have been delivered to customers since the vehicle was launched in March 2000. In addition, the smart roadster and the roadster-coupe, with total sales of over 25,000 units, took second place in the German registration statistics only one year after their market launch. What’s more, customers of smart convertibles more frequently demand high-quality optional equipment and exclusive design, with two-thirds of the buyers of smart fortwo convertibles choosing the exclusive “passion” variant or the “BRABUS” sports model. smart is also meeting customers’ demands regarding exclusivity by offering limited edition convertibles. The second batch of the “starblue” edition of the smart fortwo convertible is, for example, almost sold out, while more than half of the limited edition smart “speedsilver” roadsters have already been delivered to customers.
Overview of Mercedes Car Group Sales
+ 4.0
In June
2004Change
in %January-
June 2004Change in % Mercedes Car Group worldwide 105,700 + 2.0 584,800 - 3.4 of those, Mercedes-Benz 92,000 - 1.8 522,500 - 5.5 smart 13,700 + 36.9 62,300 + 18.7 Mercedes Car Group Western Europe
(excl. Germany)39,600 + 2.5 208,500 - 3.3 Germany 32,800 185,200 - 3.1 United States* 17,500 + 1.5 103,200 - 2.6 Asia/Pacific 8,400 - 6.2 46,600 - 3.2
