Sales of Mercedes Car Group passenger vehicles rose three percent in May 2007 to a record 116,000 units (May 2006: 112,700 units). During the first five months of the year as a whole, sales of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and smart brand vehicles amounted to 500,500 units (January-May 2006: 508,500 units). At 103,400 units, May’s result marks a new all-time high for sales of Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles (May 2006: 101,800 units). Since the beginning of the year, deliveries of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles have risen to the record level of 468,400 units (January-May 2006: 459,100 units).

With the new generation of the E-Class, Mercedes-Benz gained market shares in all triad markets. As a result, worldwide deliveries in the upper-range segment have increased by twelve percent since the beginning of the year, to 99,500 units.

More than 250,000 Mercedes-Benz B-Class vehicles have been sold in the nearly two years since the model’s market launch in June 2005. Over 50,000 units of the innovative sports tourer have been delivered to customers since January alone.

Mercedes-Benz also posted strong growth in the SUV segment, with worldwide sales of M-, R-, GL- and G-Class vehicles totaling 70,100 units in the first five months of the year. Mercedes-Benz continues to be the best-selling premium brand in the SUV segment in Western Europe. Its best-selling SUV model, the M-Class, has sold about 850,000 units since it was launched on the market in 1997. Customers throughout the world are also very enthusiastic about the new GL-Class, about 40,000 of which have been delivered since the full-size luxury SUV was introduced on the market in April 2006.

Mercedes-Benz also continues to post record results in the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Through May 2007, sales in the U.S. increased by five percent to the all-time high of 98,700 vehicles. The performance was similar in the Asia-Pacific region, where deliveries rose to the record level of 54,000 units (January-May 2006: 52,700). In Western Europe, sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles amounted to 273,900 units during the first five months of the year (January-May 2006: 275,300 units).

Of the new smart fortwo 12,200 units were sold in May, the second month since its market launch. Compared to the results for its predecessor model in May 2006, deliveries of the two-seater have therefore risen by 71 percent. Although the brand’s product range now focuses exclusively on the fortwo, total sales of smart brand vehicles again increased significantly (15 percent) in May 2007, to 12,500 units.


Overview of Mercedes Car Group Sales