Mercedes E-klasse
Terwijl het in de Verenigde Staten niet zo goed gaat met Mercedes, doet de autobouwer het wel goed in eigen land, daar steeg de verkoop met 11 procent.

In mei verkocht Mercedes-Benz Cars (Mercedes, AMG, Smart, Maybach) wereldwijd 97.300 wagens, ten opzichte van mei vorig jaar is dat een daling met 12 procent. Opvallend is wel de stijging ten opzichte van vorige maand, in april werden maar 80.700 voertuigen verkocht. Een belangrijke factor die hier volgens Mercedes meespeelt is de marktlancering van de Mercedes E-Klasse.

In Duitsland zien we in vergelijking met de wereld een ander verhaal, in zijn thuisland verkocht het merk 25.600 wagens. Dat is een stijging met 11 procent tegenover de 23.100 verkochte eenheden vorig jaar. De belangrijkste stijgers zijn de A en B-klasse, daarvan verwisselden respectievelijk 5.300 en 3.900 exemplaren van eigenaar. De Smart fortwo verkocht ook een stuk beter dan vorig jaar met 3.200 stuks ten opzichte van 2.600 stuks vorig jaar.

Mercedes verwacht dat de verkopen deze maand nog verder zullen stijgen door de marktintroductie van de nieuwe E-klasse, ook de E-klasse coupé en de nieuwe S-klasse zullen volgens mercedes klanten lokken. De nieuwe S 400 Hybride blijkt trouwens een succes, ongeveer 15 procent van de S-klasse bestellingen zou reeds naar de hybride versie gaan, dit terwijl de S 400 Hybride pas vanaf 26 juni in de showrooms staat.

Opvallend is verder nog de goede prestatie van Mercedes in China, Brazilië en Canada. Hier werden respectievelijk 59, 39 en 17 procent meer wagens verkocht.

Overzicht verkopen Mercedes 2009

In May, Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 97,300 Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles (May 2008: 111,100) to customers worldwide (minus 12 percent). The Mercedes-Benz brand sold 86,300 passenger vehicles worldwide (minus 12 percent) in May (May 2008: 98,100 units). Despite the fact that many markets are still in a difficult situation, Mercedes-Benz succeeded in markedly improving sales compared to the previous month (April 2009: 80,700). Factors that contributed to this improvement included the successful market launch of the new E-Class and the positive sales development in Germany and the Asia-Pacific region.
In Germany, Mercedes-Benz sold 25,600 vehicles in May (May 2008: 23,100) and increased sales by 11 percent. In addition to the boost from the new E-Class, the A- and B-Class also contributed to the growth in sales. Around 5,300 customers bought an A-Class vehicle in Germany in May (May 2008: 3,400), representing an increase of 54 percent. Deliveries of B-Class vehicles rose by 27 percent to 3,900 units (May 2008: 3,000). Sales in the A- and B-Class segment totaled 18,900 units worldwide, remaining largely unchanged from the same month last year (May 2008: 19,000). The smart fortwo posted a sales increase of 26 percent in Germany with 3,200 units sold in May (May 2008: 2,600). Since the beginning of the year, customers have bought 50,100 units of the innovative two-seater worldwide (January-May 2008: 55,500, minus 10 percent). The smart fortwo is now in the third year of its lifecycle. Mercedes-Benz in May was able to gain market shares in key Western European markets, such as Spain, France and the UK.
“The new E-Class has met with an outstanding customer response,” says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We expect sales to receive a further boost in the coming months from the introduction of the new E-Class to other important markets such as China and the U.S., as well as from the launch of the new E-Class coupe and the face lifted S-Class.” As was the case in April, the first month after the vehicle’s launch, the new E-Class was once again the market leader in Germany in May. “The new S 400 HYBRID has also gotten off to a great start,” says Maier. “In fact, around 15 percent of S-Class customers have opted for the hybrid version even before it officially hits showrooms on June 26.” In May, the S-Class was once again the world’s best-selling luxury sedan.
In China, Mercedes-Benz posted another sales record in May. At 5,200 units (May 2008: 3,300), vehicle sales were up by 59 percent. As a result, Mercedes-Benz continues to grow fastest. In Brazil, sales of Mercedes-Benz have risen by 39 percent since the beginning of the year, to 1,900 units (January–May 2008: 1,300). Mercedes-Benz continues to surge ahead in Canada as well. In the first five months of the year, the brand posted record sales of 9,400 units (January-May 2008: 8,100), representing an increase of 17 percent.