Mercedes-Benz USA Records 18,349 New Vehicle Sales in October

MONTVALE, N.J., Nov. 1, 2005 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported sales of 18,349 new vehicles in October, up slightly from October 2004, bringing the year-to-date total sales to 174,593.

The E-Class and C-Class model lines were closely matched as volume leaders for the month with 4,670 units and 4,625 units respectively. In the luxury light truck segment, the R-Class Grand Sports Tourer recorded sales of 930 units in October, its first full month on the market since launching in mid- September. The 2006 M-Class continues to demonstrate strong sales momentum with sales of 2,641 new vehicles, a 13.9 percent increase over October 2004.

As rising fuel costs continued to be an issue for consumers in October, sales of the E320 CDI diesel have continued to increase over the past several months with 3,486 units sold year-to-date. To meet this strong demand Mercedes-Benz will expand its diesel offering with the introduction of the ML320 CDI diesel in 2006, followed by a new V6 E320 CDI.

Separately, the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned vehicle program reported October sales of 3,391 units, bringing the year-to-date total to 37,325.

In 2004, MBUSA achieved its eleventh consecutive year of sales growth by setting the highest sales volume in its history with 221,610 new vehicle sales and expects to continue the momentum with another record year of sales in 2005. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., MBUSA is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com.

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                            MERCEDES-BENZ USA
                          Sales -- October 2005

  Model            Oct '05   Oct '04  Monthly % YTD 2005  YTD 2004  Yearly%

  C-CLASS            4,625     4,748     -2.6%    45,994    54,084   -15.0%

  E-CLASS            4,670     5,011     -6.8%    40,165    46,453   -13.5%

  S-CLASS            1,403     1,733    -19.0%    12,724    16,349   -22.2%

  CL-CLASS             105       232    -54.7%     1,024     2,190   -53.2%

  SL-CLASS             733     1,175    -37.6%     8,182    11,010   -25.7%

  CLK-CLASS          1,176     1,950    -39.7%    15,334    18,823   -18.5%

  SLK-CLASS            959     1,005     -4.6%     9,473     4,366   117.0%

  CLS-CLASS          1,007       n/a      n/a     12,654       n/a     n/a

  R-CLASS              930       n/a      n/a      1,316       n/a     n/a

  M-CLASS            2,641     2,319     13.9%    26,639    21,419    24.4%

  G-CLASS              100       150    -33.3%     1,088     1,188    -8.4%

  GRAND TOTAL       18,349    18,323      0.1%   174,593   175,882    -0.7%