Mercedes Plans Sales Of 22,000 CLKs Yearly in U.S.

August 1, 2002

Detroit, Jeff Green writing for Bloomberg News reported that DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz will sell as many as 22,000 CLK coupes a year in the U.S. as part of a new lineup that may mean higher sales for the rest of the year, the top U.S. marketing executive said.

The CLK, expected to start about $40,000 for the 6-cyclinder model and $50,000 for the 8-cylinder, goes on sale Aug. 9, said Dave Schembri, Mercedes' U.S. vice president of marketing. By year-end the company will have replaced or updated half of its cars and trucks, Schembri said in Detroit.

Mercedes, which provides most of DaimlerChrysler's profit while Chrysler and Freightliner units try to end losses, is competing with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus for the U.S. luxury sales crown this year. Through the first half of the year BMW was leading with 117,736 cars and trucks, followed by Lexus at 117,287 and Mercedes at 102,927.

"Mercedes will get a big bump with a new E-Class and the CLK," said Rebecca Lindland, senior analyst for DRI-WEFA, which projects auto sales. "Mercedes really has the opportunity to lure customers back from BMW with its new products."

BMW and Lexus are forecast to finish the year with about 248,000 cars and trucks each, with Mercedes in third place at 226,600, she said. Mercedes sold 19,243 CLK models last year, Schembri said. The automaker's sales of cars and trucks that cost more than $70,000 have risen 13 percent this year and may accelerate, he said.

The 2003 CLK for the first time is available with a 302-horsepower, 5-liter, 8-cyclinder engine. New options include cruise control that adapts to the speed of other vehicles and an ignition and entry system that activates with a button when the key is in the owner's pocket, said Doug Worrell, CLK product manager.

Stuttgart, Germany-based DaimlerChrysler's U.S. shares fell $2.02, or 4.5 percent, to $42.76 at 4:16 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have risen 2.6 percent so far this year.