Mercedes-Benz closed the first quarter of 2019 with 560,873 passenger cars sold worldwide (-5.6%). For the third year in a row, sales in the first quarter were therefore well over 550,000 units. In March, 227,644 vehicles with the three-pointed star were delivered to customers all over the world (-4.1%). The first three months of the year featured important model changes in the highest-volume SUV and compact-car segments. The company expects an increasing vehicle availability in the next months and therefore global sales to increase slightly overall in 2019. Since the beginning of the year, Mercedes-Benz has maintained its market leadership in the premium segment in Germany, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, Poland, Denmark, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Brazil and other markets.
“We are delighted with the best quarter ever for Mercedes-Benz in China and the successful market launch of the new B-Class in Europe. The first three months of the year were challenging worldwide due to the ongoing model changes for SUVs and compact cars,” said Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. “ In the coming months, further highlights of our current model offensive at Mercedes-Benz will be launched; the CLA Coupé, for example, will be available in our showrooms in May. From the middle of the year, the ungraded generation of our very popular Midsize SUVs GLC and GLC Coupé will then be available at our dealerships.”& amp; lt; /p>
Mercedes-Benz unit sales by region and market
In Europe, Mercedes-Benz sold 103,155 vehicles in March (-5.6%) and as per March the sales amounted to 224,678 (-5.6%). The discontinuation of the CLA and the GLE due to the model change had an impact on unit sales in many European markets. In Germany, the region’s core market, sales of 70.542 units were achieved in the first quarter (-5.0%). In the United Kingdom, first quarter sales increased by 1.1%, while the best-ever first-quarter unit sales were achieved in France, Poland and in Denmark.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Mercedes-Benz delivered 87,509 cars to customers last month (-1.6%). Unit sales reached a new record in China, the region’s core market: 61,913 customers were delighted to receive their new Mercedes-Benz car (+5.9%). Mercedes-Benz concluded the first three months of the year, as the best quarter ever in China (+2.6%) with sales of 174,343 units. The long-wheelbase versions of the C-Class and E-Class Saloon, which are popular in the Chinese market, set new records in both March and the first quarter. Unit sales in Malaysia increased to a new all-time high for the month of March (+40.3%).
Mercedes-Benz sold in total 32,286 vehicles in the NAFTA region in March (-5.0%). In the core market, the United States, a total of 27,004 customers were delighted to receive their new model with the three-pointed star last month (-4.9%). At the end of the first quarter, deliveries in the USA amounted to 71,171 units (-9.3%). In Mexico sales increased by 1.1% in March.
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SOURCE: Daimler
