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Mercedes-Benz Announces February Sales

4 March 1998

Mercedes-Benz Sets All-Time Record for February Sales and Year-to-Date Volume

  Sets Stage for Another Record-Breaking Year with Sales of 12,342 Vehicles
                                 In February

    MONTVALE, N.J., March 4 -- Mercedes-Benz of North America,
Inc. (MBNA) reported record February sales with 12,342 new vehicles sold -- an
increase of almost 60 percent over the 7,770 vehicles sold during the same
month in 1997.  Year-to-date sales were at an all-time high with a total of
24,062 vehicles sold during the first two months of 1998, a 61.4 percent
increase over the 14,913 vehicles sold during the same period last year.
    For February, the biggest increase was in the C-Class model line with
sales of 2,920 (vs. 2,189).  The E-Class continued its strong momentum with
sales of 3,369 versus the 3,210 vehicles sold during February of last year.
S-Class sales came in at 793 versus 1,202 in 1997, while the SL model line
climbed to 586 vehicles sold (vs. 554).
    New-for-1998 models continued to reflect high demand: the new ML320 sport
utility vehicle posted sales of 3,596; sales of the SLK roadster increased to
632 (vs. 615) and the CLK Coupe recorded sales of 447 vehicles.
    On a year-to-date basis, the C-Class climbed to 5,968 vehicles (versus
4,489).  The E-Class model line accounted for the largest volume with sales of
6,492 (versus 5,976).  S-Class sales numbered 1,899 (versus 2,542) while sales
of the SL increased to 1,151 vehicles (versus 999).
    Year-to-date sales of the SLK are 1,198 (versus 907); the CLK, 877 and the
M-Class, 6,477.
    MBNA expects its strong momentum to propel the company and its 320 dealers
to another year of record-breaking annual volume with sales reaching 140,000.

SOURCE  Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.