Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars Further Extends Its Leading Position Worldwide in the Premium Segment in September

A total of 839,600 vehicles sold in the first three quarters of the year New all-time highs in and through September 2002 E-Class success continues: global market share extended to 28 percent

Stuttgart, Germany, October 08, 2002

Sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars worldwide increased by ten percent in September 2002, reaching 98,200 units. In the first nine months of the year, 839,600 vehicles were sold in total, corresponding to the record level achieved in the same period last year.

One important factor influencing Mercedes-Benz' strong market position is the brand's continued sales success in Western European countries outside Germany. Passenger car deliveries rose by 16 percent to 29,600 units in September alone, which means that they increased by five percent in the first three quarters of 2002 to 271,100 vehicles. This success is due to sales records in the key markets of the UK (62,900 vehicles, up two percent), Italy (58,400 vehicles, up 17 percent), France (45,100 vehicles, up eight percent) and Spain (24,100 vehicles, up 13 percent).

Mercedes-Benz also bucked the overall negative market trend in Germany, boosting passenger car deliveries to 31,500 units, up by over five percent compared to September 2001. In the first nine months of the year, 287,500 vehicles were sold on the German market, which has declined by over three percent. The corresponding figure for 2001 was 293,400 vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz is also on course to achieve best-ever results in the U.S. Here, vehicle sales in September 2002 reached a record-breaking 17,500 units, while sales for the first three quarters of the year were up once again by over two percent on the same period of 2001, at 153,700 vehicles. The C-Class in particular played an important part in boosting sales figures from January to September, with the number of vehicles sold increasing by 39 percent to 49,000.

Furthermore, the new E-Class promises additional growth potential. After an extremely successful market launch in the U.S and the introduction of the right-hand drive version in the UK, the model has now reached its full market availability. Its market share has risen to 28 percent from 21 percent last year. "This fact demonstrates that the new E-Class has been very well received in all of the important markets, and shows why we are the market leader worldwide in the upper-range segment," says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars & smart.

The S-Class, many details of which have been modified to make it even more attractive, also met with an excellent response when it was unveiled to the public at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September. Professor Jürgen Hubbert, Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars & smart, said: "Equipped with pioneering technical innovations such as the PRE-SAFE occupant protection system and the electronically controlled 4MATIC system, the updated S-Class is once again setting the trends. What's more, thanks to our expertise in the diesel segment and for 12-cylinder engine vehicles in particular, we are creating the ideal conditions for expanding the model's leading global market share in the luxury segment, which currently stands at 47 percent, still further in the future."