Sales of 12,690 Second-Best January Ever for Mercedes-Benz USA

    MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 1 Following December's all-time sales
record, Mercedes-Benz USA, Inc. (MBUSA) reported sales of 12,690 new vehicles
during the month of January 2001, a 7 percent decrease over last year's
January 2000 sales record of 13,647.  This represents the second-highest
January sales volume ever by MBUSA and again, follows the all-time best month
ever for the company in December (with sales of 20,306 new vehicles).
    Sales for the month were led by the award-winning M-Class, which recorded
sales of 3,278, down 14.8 percent (vs. 3,847).  Trailing closely behind with
2,886, E-Class sales showed a decrease of 20.1 percent (vs. 3,614).
    January 2001 represents the second-best January for the C-Class, which
recorded sales of 2,345 units, a 25 percent increase from 1,883 in 2000.  The
all-new C-Class, which went on sale in September 2000, has shown
year-over-year sales gains every month since launch.
    The S-Class, MBUSA's flagship model line, recorded a marginal decrease as
sales dipped 3 percent to 1,832 (vs. 1,888) due to low inventories.  The
all-new CL-Class posted 143 units for the month, which is the best January
ever for coupes and a 123 percent increase over January 2000.  The SL-Class
finished the month with 243 units sold, a decrease of 40 percent (vs. 403).
The CLK family of coupes and cabriolets posted a decrease of 7.3 percent with
1,371 units (vs. 1,479), again due to low inventories.  January SLK sales of
592 units reflect the second-best January for the series which showed an
increase 26.2 percent (vs. 469).
    Separately, through its Starmark pre-owned vehicle program, MBUSA recorded
sales of 2,561, an increase of 21.9 percent compared to January 2000 sales of
2,101 vehicles.