Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has reported February sales of 14,199 vehicles. While sales for the month were down from last year, the company’s February volume put it ahead of its mainstream competitors for the month.

A key contributor to February performance was the all-new 2010 GLK350, MBUSA’s versatile, compact SUV, which made a strong showing during its first full month on the market with sales of 1,918. The GLK’s February sales made it one of the company’s top-selling models behind the C-Class (3,990) and E-Class (2,104).

Sales gains were made by the iconic Mercedes-Benz SL and popular CLK models. Sales for the SL-Class increased 26.6 percent for the month with sales of 462 new vehicles (versus 365 vehicles in February 2008). The CLK-Class recorded sales of 1,134 new vehicles, a 15.4 percent increase over the same period last year (983 new vehicles).

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 5,795 vehicles in February; a 28.3 percent increase compared to February 2008 sales of 4,517 vehicles. Year-to-date sales for the MBCPO program are 12,548, a 54.1 percent increase over 2008 year-to-date sales (8,141 vehicles) during the same timeframe.

Mercedes-Benz USA February 2009 Sales Overview

Mercedes-Benz USA has announced today that they’ll be launching a new exclusive hotel and resorts program known as Destinations – one that will allow Mercedes-Benz owners staying at select properties exclusive benefits, including complimentary use of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, welcome gifts and room upgrades. Destinations available in the program include Calistoga Ranch, CA; Encantado, NM; The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC; The Montage Beverly Hills, CA; Rancho Valencia, CA; Stowe Mountain Lodge, VT; The St. Regis Aspen, CO; and Winvian, CT; and Trump International Hotel & Tower, IL.

According to Lisa Holladay, manager of Mercedes-Benz brand experience marketing: “Our customers choose Mercedes-Benz vehicles because they want an exceptional and luxurious experience when they travel by car. Our new Destinations program extends that luxury experience by offering exclusive customer benefits through select, hand-picked properties that are quite extraordinary.”

Like the herd of possessed swine cast off the cliff by Jesus Himself, so too went the way of Mercedes-Benz USA’s sales in January. They went down. Down, down, down. Specifically, the U.S. division of the luxury brand managed to achieve what some would have before considered impossible – shipping exactly 42.9 percent fewer vehicles than they did only a year ago. In total, MBUSA delivered 10,433, compared to 18,275 units in January 2008.

What makes the decline even more interesting is that this January marked the beginning of a U.S. advertising blitz for the new GLK-Class, with television spots and print ads for the new SUV popping up on a nearly daily basis. Even with the new ad bombardment, a quick scan of the other top luxury automakers January figures reveals that MBUSA outdid them all, with Lexus being the only brand coming close to Mercedes-Benz USA’s catastrophic decline (-37.7 percent).

So what does this mean for Mercedes-Benz USA’s marketing department? It means that what they’re doing isn’t working, and to be honest, we can’t say we’re surprised. I won’t go into specifics today, but I will say that last year, we sent Mercedes a proposal that would have been far more effective than any of MBUSA’s current marketing attempts. Call it a vision into the future, if you will – one that we had the opportunity to sit down and present to the company a few months ago, and one that they blatantly and unfortunately dismissed. Now, kicking off a new year, Mercedes-Benz USA is at the forefront of the luxury automotive segment, not as the industry leader, but rather as the brand holding title as the month’s most substantial loser.

It’s a difficult economic environment, but at the same time, it’s at times like these that the true measure of a company’s ingenuity and character can be seen. The truth is that there’s more to selling cars than airing a few unimaginative television and print ads, but until MBUSA becomes receptive to this fact, I expect little to change in the company’s position amidst the luxury segment.

For more info regarding Mercedes-Benz USA’s January sales figures, keep reading for the official press release.

Mercedes-Benz USA announced today that they have become an official patron of the PGA of America – a collaboration that will last through 2013. Under the venture, MBUSA will serve as The Official Vehicle of The PGA of America, the Official Patron and Official Vehicle of the PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship, and a Proud Supporter of the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cup.

According to Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA: “The PGA of America continues to make golf accessible to a wider audience and we see an opportunity to support and benefit from the game’s future growth. The three-pointed star has a long-standing history with golf and this new partnership strengthens our existing ties with the game while also extending our presence within one of the world’s largest sports organizations.”

In addition to the aforementioned titles, part of Mercedes-Benz USA’s duties include providing vehicles at the PGA Championships, Senior PGA Championship and the 2012 Ryder Cup. Furthermore, the company will be involved in a number of additional sponsorship activities, including being a Presenting Sponsor of the PGA Professional National Championship and Senior PGA Professional National Championship; the PGA Play Golf America Days Fan Experience at the Senior PGA Championship, PGA Championship and 2012 Ryder Cup; and the Loyalty Lots at the Senior PGA Championships, PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup.

For more info detailing Mercedes-Benz USA’s partnership with the PGA of America, you can find the full details in the official press release below.

Capping off a horrendous past several months, Mercedes-Benz USA continued their year-end downward spiral in December, with sales at MBUSA totaling 18,507 new units – a decrease of 32.1 percent when compared to December of 2007. As a result, Mercedes-Benz USA’s 2008 sales amounted to a grand total of 225,128 new units – a decrease of 11.2 percent when compared to the prior year.

And while normally this is the part where I’d tell you what models performed best last month, to be honest, there weren’t any that did perform well. Every model in the Mercedes lineup noted a double digit sales decrease in December, save one: the G-Glass. With sales of 128 units (ten less than December 2007), it noted a sales decrease of only 7.2 percent. The second model performing slightly less than terribly was the C-Class, with sales dropping 11.7 percent – far better than the R-Class’ 59.8 percent drop.

All-in-all, it was another horrible month at MBUSA.

For more info pertaining to Mercedes-Benz USA’s December 2008 sales figures complete with individual mode statistics, keep reading for the official press release.