Mercedes-Benz Achieves Best-Selling November

STUTTGART -- December 4, 2015: Mercedes-Benz handed over 161,953 vehicles to customers worldwide in November (+7.4%), which is more than ever before in a November. Since the beginning of the year, unit sales increased by 13.9% to 1,693,494 vehicles. The Stuttgart-based premium brand with the three-pointed star thus surpassed its total unit sales of the previous year already in November and set a new record.

“November 2015 was the best-selling November for Mercedes-Benz so far. Our SUVs and compact cars in particular are extremely popular with the customers. We achieved new records in both segments and sold more than 50,000 units of each of those two vehicle types”, stated Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales.

In Europe, unit sales in November rose to a record of 67,500 vehicles sold (+10.5%). Since the beginning of the year, 726,606 vehicles with the three-pointed star have been handed over to customers (+10.8%), which is also a new record. In Germany, 23,878 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were sold in November (+2.2%). The brand with the three-pointed star thus once again defended its market leadership amongst the premium manufacturers in the home market last month, as well as in Spain. Both in November and since the beginning of the year, sales records were set in Great Britain, Switzerland, Sweden and Portugal.

In the NAFTA region, 354,286 customers received their new Mercedes-Benz in the first eleven months of the year, an increase of 5.6% compared with the prior-year period. In the United States, 308,885 vehicles were sold since the beginning of the year (+4.2%) – a new record. After the successful start of the GLC in Europe, the middle-class SUV will also be available for sale in the United States from December onwards. The Stuttgart based company with the three-pointed star expects demand as high as from its predecessor, the topseller GLK. Unit-sales records were also set in Canada and Mexico in the period of January to November.

Sales in the Asia-Pacific region reached a new record of 55,725 units in November (+24.7%). Since the beginning of the year, unit sales increased to the record number of 553,639 vehicles (+25.6%). Last month, 36,313 vehicles were delivered to customers in China (+38.7%). In the first eleven months of the year, more than 300,000 vehicles were sold in China for the first time. Growth in November was particularly strong also in South Korea, where unit sales by Mercedes-Benz increased by more than a third (+40.0%). In Japan, unit sales in the first eleven months increased by 9.4% compared with the prior-year period, setting a record of 58,362 vehicles. In November, Mercedes-Benz once again maintained its market leadership amongst the premium importeurs there, as well as in Australia.

Demand for the Mercedes-Benz compact cars is as high as ever. In November, 51,416 units were handed over to customers (+21.2%) – a new record. Mercedes-Benz set a new record with the models of the A- and B-Class, the GLA, CLA and CLA Shooting Brake also in the first eleven months, selling 528,786 units in that period (+26.5%).

Sales of the C-Class Saloon and Estate surpassed 400,000 units for the first time in the first eleven months of a year. Since January, 406,043 vehicles of the high-volume model from Mercedes-Benz have been delivered (+46.2%). Last month, the C-Class was especially successful in China and set a new unit-sales record.

Since the beginning of the year, the S-Class Saloon continues to be the world’s best-selling luxury saloon.

The SUVs from Mercedes-Benz set a new record in November. Compared with the prior-year month, unit sales worldwide increased by 26.4% to 52,155 vehicles. The bestsellers were the GLA and the GLC. Mercedes-Benz set a new unit-sales record with its SUVs also in the first eleven months, handing over 465,338 of these models to customers (+25.5%). The new GLS had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Demand for the smart fortwo and smart forfour increased in November to a total of 10,840 units worldwide (+45.3%). Thus, more than 100,000 of these city cars have been handed over to customers since the beginning of the year. Growth was particularly strong in Europe, where smart nearly doubled its unit sales. The new smart forfour had its market premiere in China at the Guangzhou Auto Show; it will be available from dealerships in China as of spring 2016. In November, car2go was launched in Madrid. After Stuttgart, Amsterdam and San Diego, Madrid is the fourth city with an all-electric fleet.