For the month of February, the Mercedes Car Group is reporting that worldwide sales of the Mercedes Car Group noted a slight dip, dropping 2.1 percent to 82,000 new units (compared to 83,800 units in February 2006).  Individually, however, the Mercedes-Benz brand noted a slight increase in February sales, with the luxury division selling 78,000 passenger cars - a 2.6 percent increase when compared to last February.

As for what helped Mercedes-Benz achieve the increase?  Sales of the C-Class kicked off to a tremendous start, with the newly-redesigned model already receiving around 55,000 orders despite not launching until March 31st.  Sales of the E-Class have also remained positive, with the sedan noting an 18 percent sales increase of 17,000 new units.  And last but certainly not least, sales of both the flagship S-Class and CL-Class have continued to note marked success, with Mercedes delivering 16,900 S-Class through the first two months of the year and 3,400 CL-Class since its market launch in September 2006.

The smart brand, however, didn't fare quite as well, with sales of the current-generation fortwo noting a 48.1 percent decrease with 4,000 units sold.  Of course, with the impending April launch of the next fortwo and already 30,000 orders placed for the new two-seater, it won't be much longer until smart sales finally head up once again, rising from the ashes like a mighty phoenix and protecting each member of the Mercedes Car Group in its immortal wings...

Or something like that.

To learn more, keep reading for the full press release detailing the worldwide sales of the Mercedes Car Group complete with sales statistics for each of the key global markets.

Enjoy.



OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes Car Group Sells 82,000 Vehicles Worldwide in February 2007

• Mercedes-Benz with eight percent increase to 151,500 passenger vehicles in the first two months 2007
  
  
• Even before the official market launch, new C-Class and new smart fortwo post impressive numbers for incoming orders
  
  
• With more than one million deliveries, E-Class sedan celebrates new sales milestone
  

Stuttgart, Mar 06, 2007
The Mercedes Car Group sold 82,000 Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and smart brand passenger vehicles worldwide in February 2007, compared to 83,800 units sold in the same month last year. For the first two months of the year, sales amounted to 159,700 vehicles (156,500 units).

Mercedes-Benz sold 78,000 passenger vehicles in February worldwide, posting an increase of three percent compared to the same month last year (76,100 units). The number of vehicles delivered to customers in the first two months of 2007 rose by eight percent to the total of 151,500 units (same period last year: 140,600 units).
The new C-Class sedan is registering an extremely positive reception in the market only a few weeks after its sales start. Even before its official market launch on March 31, 2007, already around 55.000 orders have been placed for the new model in Western Europe. Sales of the current C-Class sports coupe were particularly strong in February (1,900 units), a 26-percent increase from the result posted in the same month in 2006.

The E-Class also registered strong growth in February. Sales of the upper-range model series totaled 17,000 units, up 18 percent from the mark posted in the same period last year. The E-Class sedan also celebrated a significant sales milestone with more than one million units delivered since its market launch in March 2002.

The S-Class continues to expand its market-leading position in the luxury segment. In the first two months of this year, Mercedes-Benz delivered 16,900 vehicles in this segment. A particularly gratifying result is the success of the CL-Class, which has been the choice of 3,400 customers worldwide since its market launch at the end of September 2006.

Sales of the A-Class and B-Class models also continue to be robust, reaching a new record with 36,600 deliveries in the first two months of this year.

The increase in the first two months of this year was supported by growth in all regions. In the United States, sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in January and February of this year were up 15 percent from the same period last year, reaching a record total of 34,400 units. Mercedes-Benz also set a sales record in the Asia/Pacific region, with sales there climbing by 11 percent to 20,200 units in the first two months of 2007. With outstanding results posted in all vehicle classes, sales in China (including Hong Kong), also developed especially well: 4,800 Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles were delivered to customers by the end of February (plus 52 percent). In Western Europe, sales through February increased by four percent from the same period last year, to 81,600 units.

The smart brand delivered 4,000 vehicles to customers worldwide in February 2007, with the current fortwo model nearly sold out. Even in advance of the new smart fortwo’s official market launch in April, an impressive number of orders have been received for the car. Just seven weeks after the vehicle became available for ordering, more than 30,000 customers have already placed orders for the new two-seater.

Overview of Mercedes Car Group Sales

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