Mercedes-Benz USA Records Highest U.S. Sales in Its History

MONTVALE, N.J., Jan. 3 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported its best year on record with sales of 206,638 in 2001.

The largest increase for the year came with the popular C-Class family and the top-of-the-line CL-Class which soared up 48 percent and 70 percent respectively. A significant portion of the 2001 volume came from the C-Class with the debuts of the coupe and wagon models earlier this year. The C-Class recorded its highest year with 51,210 vehicles sold vs. 34,600 sold in 2000. Additional volume leaders for the year were the award-winning M-Class sport utility vehicles with sales of 45,655 and the popular E-Class sedans and wagons with 44,445 sold in 2001.

Also showing strong performance this year was the CLK family of coupes and cabriolets which established a sales record with sales of 19,423, an increase of 9.1 percent vs. last year's 17,796. For the month of December, the CLK also gained momentum with a 33 percent increase (2,292 vs. 1,724).

MBUSA posted one of its strongest Decembers on record, with volume leaders for the month reflecting year-end leaders: the C-Class coming in at 5,401, the E-Class posting sales of 4,343, and the M-Class recording 4,185. The same three model lines were also the volume leaders for December 2000.

Highlights for specific model sales in December include the CLK430 cabriolet with a 60.9 percent increase (655 vs. 407), the E320 4Matic with a 46.7 percent increase (707 vs. 482), and the S600 with a 36.1 percent increase for the month (98 vs. 72 units). In addition December marks the first full month of G500 sales with an achievement of 457 vehicles sold.

Separately, through its Starmark certified pre-owned vehicle program, MBUSA recorded its highest monthly sales of 3,657 vehicles in December, an increase of 35.2 percent compared to December 2000 sales of 2,705 vehicles. Starmark also posted its most successful year in its history with 38,149 vehicles sold, a 25.8 percent increase over 2000.