Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz completed the first half of 2016 with new records. In the period of January through June, 1,006,619 vehicles with the three-pointed star were delivered (+12.1%). In June, 188,444 Mercedes-Benz cars were handed over to customers all over the world (+11.1%). Mercedes-Benz thus posted record unit sales for the 40th month in succession.
Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales: “We passed the million mark this year already in June and thus achieved the best half year in the company’s history. One third of all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars sold are in the SUV segment. This shows that our product offensive is paying off and that our completely renewed SUV portfolio is extremely well received by our customers.”
Mercedes-Benz unit sales by region and market
In Europe, sales by Mercedes-Benz increased in June by 13.7% to 86,657 units. Between January and June, 444,581 vehicles were handed over to European customers, an increase of 13.3%. In the home market Germany, unit sales in the first half of the year totalled 142,756 vehicles (+7.8%). In Germany, Italy and Portugal, the Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed star was the market leader among the premium manufacturers last month.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Mercedes-Benz delivered 63,754 vehicles to customers in June (+16.4%), and actually achieved more than 20% growth in unit sales in the first half of the year. In China, the biggest market for Mercedes-Benz, growth in the first half of the year was especially strong with sales of 219,999 units (+33.1%). In Japan, Australia and Taiwan, Mercedes-Benz was the premium brand with the most new registrations last month.
In the NAFTA region, 33,245 vehicles with the three-pointed star were handed over to customers in June (+2.4%) and nearly 190,000 units in the first six months. Sales in the USA increased since the beginning of the year to a new record of 28,473 units (+1.5%). The new E-Class Saloon was launched there in June, and will ensure further sales growth. Mercedes-Benz was once again the market leader among the premium manufacturers in Canada last month.
Mercedes-Benz unit sales by model
Sales of the A- and B-Class, the CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA totalled 59,423 units in June (+9.3%). Increased demand in China compared with the prior-year month was the main factor behind this best-ever June sales for the compact cars from Mercedes-Benz. In the first half of the year, 319,626 customers worldwide were able to take delivery of their new compact car, more than ever before (+18.6%).
More than 200,000 units of the C-Class Saloon and Estate have already been sold this year. One reason for this is the long-wheelbase version of the C-Class Saloon, which is offered exclusively in China and achieved a new all time high in June and the first six months. The C-Class segment has now been strengthened with the addition of the C-Class Cabriolet, which can now be ordered in Europe.
The SUVs from Mercedes-Benz surpassed their previous record set in June 2015 by 43%, with sales of 62,175 units this June. Sales growth of 46.1% in the first half of the year was even stronger (339,541 units). This means that SUVs meanwhile account for one third of the total unit sales of Mercedes-Benz. And the product offensive is continuing: a second coupe will expand the SUV segment. The new GLC Coupé has been driving off the assembly lines in Bremen since June.
Smart
The smart brand increased its unit sales by 16% in June and delivered 13,147 cars to its customers worldwide. The urban microcar achieved new records in the Asia-Pacific region; never before were so many smart cars delivered to customers there in the month of June and in the first six months of a year.
Overview of sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars
June 2016 Change in % Jan.-June 2016 Change in %
Mercedes-Benz 188,444 +11.1 1,006,619 +12.1
smart 13,147 +16.0 73,510 +18.3
Mercedes-Benz Cars 201,591 +11.4 1,080,129 +12.5
Mercedes-Benz unit sales in the region/market
Europe 86,657 +13.7 444,581 +13.3
– thereof Germany 28,790 +7.4 142,756 +7.8
Asia-Pacific 63,754 +16.4 346,220 +21.7
– thereof Japan 6,356 +0.4 32,120 -1.4
– thereof China 39,462 +21.4 219,999 +33.1
NAFTA 33,245 +2.4 189,512 +0.1
– thereof USA 28,473 +1.5 162,777 -1.3
Daimler at a Glance
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance, financial investments, credit cards, and innovative mobility services.
The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today:
The Group’s focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal and fascinate. Daimler consequently invests in the development of alternative drive trains with the long-term goal of emission-free driving: from hybrid vehicles to electric vehicles powered by battery or fuel cell. Furthermore, the company follows a consistent path towards accident-free driving and intelligent connectivity all the way to autonomous driving. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.
Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world’s most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes me, the brands smart, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses, and Daimler Financial Services’ brands: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial, Daimler Truck Financial, moovel, car2go and mytaxi. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2015, the Group sold around 2.9 million vehicles and employed a workforce of 284,015 people; revenue totalled €149.5 billion and EBIT amounted to €13.2 billion.