Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the month again.  You know, the "sales figures" time.  For the month of September, sales of the Mercedes Car Group's Mercedes-Benz and Smart Car brands rose significantly to 117,900 units, compared to 112,300 units last year.  The increased sales bring the Mercedes Group's year-to-date total to 878,600 units, an increase of 6,000 units over 2004.

Individually, the Mercedes-Benz brand noted another strong September sales record, increasing worldwide sales 8% to 106,500 units. But, as has been the case over the past months, the Mercedes-Benz brand still trails 2004 year-to-date sales by 400 units.

Despite this fact, Daimler Chrysler continues its positive outlook for 2005.  The recent introduction of the new S, R, M and B-Class models is expected to continue Mercedes' positive sales momentum through the end of the year, and the introduction of new V6 and V8 engines are expected to further enhance the Mercedes' lineup.  To put it simply, Daimler Chrysler expects to move Mercedes' total sales into the black by the end of the year.

You can check out Daimler Chrysler's press release below.


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes Car Group With Best Ever Sales
In September

Stuttgart, Germany, October 07, 2005

In September 2005, sales of Mercedes-Benz and smart brand cars rose significantly to 117,900 units (September 2004: 112,300) so that sales of 878,600 vehicles after the first three quarters of 2005 surpass those of the same period last year (872,600).

Mercedes-Benz achieved a sales record for the month of September by increasing customer deliveries by eight percent worldwide to 106,500 vehicles (September 2004: 98,200). During the first three quarters of 2005, Mercedes-Benz sold 773,900 passenger cars, compared to 774,300 vehicles for the same period last year. The new S , R , M- and B-Class vehicles and the powerful new V6 and V8 engines are expected to generate substantially more growth in the coming months.

As was the case in August, Mercedes-Benz increased customer deliveries in all triad markets in September. In the U.S., the brand’s sales rose by one percent to a new all-time high of 17,600 units. The continuing strength of Mercedes-Benz in North America was particularly emphasized by the success of the new M Class and brisk sales of E and C Class sedans. In Europe, the brand’s positive development was supported by rising sales in the four largest markets — Germany, Italy, France and the UK. In the Asia/Pacific region, DaimlerChrysler delivered 9,700 Mercedes-Benz cars to customers, eight percent more than in September 2004.

Excellent response to the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class

With the world premiere of the new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz once again set standards in the luxury segment. Following the enthusiastic reception at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, the S-Class also met with an excellent response at dealerships on the first weekend after its market launch. Customers are also responding very positively to the B- and R-Class sports tourers. More than 28,000 B-Class vehicles have been sold in Western Europe since its market introduction in early June.

Mercedes-Benz also posts impressive results for the second-generation A Class, with more than 200,000 vehicles deliveries since the model was launched in September 2004. The A-Class, which for the first time is available as a three-door and five-door version, is selling particularly well in Germany, where about 105,000 customers purchased one of the highly variable compact vehicles over the past year. Despite intensifying competition, Mercedes-Benz thus clearly remains the number one manufacturer of premium compact cars.

The E-Class meanwhile continues to experience its positive trend. In September, worldwide sales increased by eight percent so that the E-Class further extended its global market leadership in the upper-range segment.

Diesel’s share of smart forfour sales climbs to 42 percent

Despite the continued sluggishness of the small-car segment, the number of smart cars delivered to customers between January and September rose by seven percent to 104,700 units. A total of 11,400 units were delivered in September 2005.

Besides the BRABUS variants with their range of high-quality equipment, the extremely popular fuel-efficient diesel versions of the smart forfour did particularly well. As a result, their share of total forfour sales climbed to 42 percent in September. Sales of the diesel models will be further boosted by the announcement that smart will equip all new vehicles with particulate filters beginning in spring 2006 and that the automaker will then retrofit all vehicles now being delivered free of charge.

Copyright © 2005, DaimlerChrysler AG