Mercedes-Benz USA Records Best First-Quarter Ever

MONTVALE, N.J., April 1 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported the best first-quarter in company history as sales of 19,837 new vehicles sold in March brought the first-quarter total to 51,577 -- a 2.7 percent increase over last year.

"New product launches have enabled Mercedes-Benz to kick-off the year with another record-breaking quarter. We anticipate continued success as we launch the CLK-Cabrio, E-Class wagon and E55 AMG in the coming months," said Keith May, vice president of sales for MBUSA.

The continued sales growth for Mercedes-Benz vehicles is a testament to the company's strategy to offer the most diverse product range of any luxury auto manufacturer. From entry-level sedans to high-end coupes, MBUSA saw sales increases for the month and for year-to-date. For the month, the C-Class family of sports sedans, coupes and wagons rose 24.6 percent; the highly acclaimed E-Class sedans and wagons posted a 43.6 percent gain; and the all-new CLK models marked a 26.8 percent jump compared to March 2002. First-quarter sales also posted increases across product lines: the C-Class was up 16.1 percent; the E-Class jumped 35.4 percent; and the S-Class and CL-Class rose 13.2 and 7.4 percent respectively compared to the first three months in 2002.

Recent extensions to the product lines also recorded gains over the first quarter of 2002, such as the company's 4MATIC all-wheel-drive vehicles (up 55.4 percent) and high-performance AMG vehicles (up 7.7 percent).

Separately, through its Starmark pre-owned vehicle program, MBUSA recorded sales of 4,345, breaking last March's previous record of 3,867 with a 12.4 percent increase. This establishes the best month ever for Starmark. On a year-to-date basis, Starmark sales increased 8.3 percent.

  Model               March    March   Monthly     YTD     YTD     Yearly
                       '03      '02       %       2003    2002       %
  C-CLASS TOTAL       7,266    5,831    24.6%   17,567  15,133    16.1%

  E-CLASS TOTAL       4,456    3,102    43.6%   12,725   9,396    35.4%

  S-CLASS TOTAL       1,805    1,952    -7.5%    5,250   4,638    13.2%

  CL TOTAL              328      318     3.1%      925     861     7.4%

  SL TOTAL            1,028    3,167   -67.5%    2,520   3,651   -31.0%

  CLK TOTAL           1,900    1,499    26.8%    4,298   4,750    -9.5%

  SLK TOTAL             554      811   -31.7%    1,266   1,865   -32.1%

  M-CLASS TOTAL       2,330    3,269   -28.7%    6,616   9,275   -28.7%

  G-CLASS               170      281      n/a      410     649      n/a

  GRAND TOTAL        19,837   20,230    -1.9%   51,577  50,218     2.7%