Mercedes Car Group Posts Best Ever Sales In November

Posted by www.eMercedesBenz.com on December 6, 2005 at 8:20 AM CST

The title says it all.  Despite somewhat sluggish sales for the  
Mercedes Car Group in the United States last month, sales of the  
Mercedes Car Group worldwide didn't fare quite so poorly.

For the month of November, sales of the Mercedes Car Group worldwide  
rose 1.6% to a record high of 105,200 units, compared to 103,500 last  
year. Worldwide year-to-date sales for the Mercedes Car Group are  
also up, increasing 1.2% with 1,094,500 units being sold, compared to  
1,081,200 units in 2004.

Inidividually, sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand rose 3% worldwide for  
the month of November, with 93,500 units being sold; that number is  
up from 91,000 last year.  Year-to-date sales for the Mercedes-Benz  
brand is also up .7%, increasing sales from 955,300 in 2004 to  
961,600 this year.

The increase in sales from the Mercedes-Benz brand can largely be  
attributed to the success of newly-introduced models.  The S-Class'  
sales rose 44% to 5,900 for the month of November, with strong sales  
expected to continue when it debuts in the United States next year.   
The M-Class also performed exceptionally well, increasing sales 70%  
to 9,500 units.

Unfortunately for the Mercedes Car Group, smart didn't perform quite  
as well. For the month of November, sales continued their negative  
decline with 11,700 units being sold, a 6.7% decrease from last  
November. Despite the decrease, year-to-date sales of the smart brand  
are still up 5.5% from 2004, with 132,900 units being sold to date.

I think that just about covers all the financial news for the day.   
If you want to learn more about sales for the Mercedes Car Group last  
month, you can get all the details in DaimlerChrysler's full press  
release below. 

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes Car Group continues Growth Path with Best Ever Sales in  
November

Stuttgart, Dec 06, 2005

Mercedes Car Group is continuing its growth path with a sales  
increase for the sixth consecutive month in November. Deliveries of  
Mercedes-Benz and smart passenger cars increased by 1.6 percent last  
month to the record level of 105,200 units (November 2004: 103,500).

Worldwide sales through November were up 1.2 percent to 1,094,500  
units (Jan.-Nov. 2004: 1,081,200).
Sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars worldwide increased by three  
percent to 93,500 units (November 2004: 91,000). This development was  
largely due to the successful launch of the new B , M , R and S-Class  
models as well as the positive response to the new V6 and V8 engine  
generation. Mercedes-Benz sales in both Western Europe and the Asia/ 
Pacific region last month were higher than the figures recorded in  
November 2004. With a slight decline in sales of three percent in the  
U.S., Mercedes-Benz performed equivalent to the passenger car market  
as a whole. For the period January-November, a total of 961,600 units  
were delivered to customers worldwide or 0.7 percent more than the  
figure recorded during the same period last year (955,300).
S-Class expands global market leadership in the luxury segment

The S-Class further expanded its global market leadership in the  
luxury segment, with deliveries in November increasing by 44 percent  
to 5,900 units. Mercedes-Benz is expecting additional sales momentum  
to be generated in early 2006 by the launch of high-volume diesel  
models, as well as through the market launch of the new S-Class  
flagship model in its primary U.S. sales market, and in the UK.

The new M-Class recorded sales growth in all major markets last  
month, with total sales increasing by 70 percent to 9,200 units in  
November. Deliveries in the U.S. were up 65 percent last month to  
3,000 units. Sales of the new M-Class in Western Europe increased to  
the record level of 4,700 units last month, making the premium SUV  
from Mercedes-Benz the best-selling vehicle in its class in that region.

Mercedes-Benz is also gaining new customer groups with its B and R  
Class sports tourers. Deliveries of the Grand Sports Tourer began in  
the U.S. a few weeks ago, generating a positive response among  
customers. The Compact Sports Tourer meanwhile has recorded sales of  
46,500 units since the model was launched in June.

smart sales climb 5.5 percent through November

Despite the continued sluggishness of the small-car segment, the  
number of smart cars delivered to customers between January and  
November rose by 5.5 percent compared to the same period last year,  
to 132,900 units. A total of 11,700 units were delivered to customers  
in the month of November.

Total sales of the smart forfour were up by approximately 37 percent  
through November, and the four-seater's sales in Italy — the brand’s  
most important market — more than doubled from the figure posted for  
the first eleven months of 2004. The smart fortwo continues to  
display stable development in its seventh year of existence, with  
sales through November at nearly the same level recorded for the  
period January-November 2004.

For more Mercedes-Benz news and information, visit eMercedesBenz at  
www.eMercedesBenz.com