|
|
|
|
Other Mercedes Car Group sales figures MCG Historic Sales & Production
©
1998 - 2007 Copyright & |
Mercedes-Benz Extends Its Leading Position in the World Market for Premium Automobiles in 2002
DaimlerChrysler AG is reorganizing its passenger car business around the premium brand Mercedes-Benz. As of January 1, 2003, the Mercedes Car Group will comprise the passenger car brands Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach along with the sub-brands Mercedes-Benz AMG and Mercedes-Benz McLaren. Despite a world automotive market decline of almost three percent, sales at the Mercedes Car Group rose in 2002 to approximately 1,232,600 units (2001: 1,229,700). Mercedes Car Group was thus able to increase its world market share for premium vehicles to 2.8 percent, thereby further extending its leadership in this segment worldwide. Mercedes-Benz, the world's leading luxury brand, sold about 1,110,300 passenger cars in 2002 (2001: 1,113,500), nearly equaling the record figure of the prior year. "In 2002, we more than held our own in a difficult market climate worldwide," says Prof. Jürgen Hubbert, Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, responsible for the Mercedes Car Group. "Our second product offensive got off to a successful start with the launch of the E-Class in the spring of 2002. At the same time, the market success of all model series, including such variants as the C-Class Sports Coupé and the long-wheelbase version of the A-Class, shows that customers are responding very well to our model family strategy. We will continue to rigorously pursue this market-focused model policy and create the basis for further substantial growth through the launch of innovative vehicle concepts."
Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the U.S. rose by more than three percent in 2002 to reach the record mark of 213,200 units. Benefiting from the continuing sales success of the C-Class and, in particular, from strong demand for the new E-Class, Mercedes-Benz USA posted record sales for the sixth year in a row. Similarly, growth of 14 percent for the luxury CL Coupé, SL Roadster and S?Class sedan models also helped enhance the brand's outstanding market position in North America. In Asia, sales of premium vehicles from Mercedes-Benz rose to about 86,500 units. Some 41,000 vehicles - almost half the entire volume in Asia - were sold in Japan, where Mercedes-Benz' market share in the premium segment rose to roughly nine percent. Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Thailand were up 48 percent to 4,300 units. In South Korea sales reached an new record level with 2,800 vehicles (plus 128 percent). The Chinese market displayed a particularly positive development, as demand for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars rose by about 26 percent to 6,900 vehicles. With sales up by 62 percent to 5,000 vehicles, the S-Class is now the clear market leader of the luxury segment in this highly promising market. A new record was set in Australia with 13,200 units sold - an increase of 15 percent. In South Africa more than 21,000 passenger cars were delivered in 2002, which represents a more than 100 percent increase since 1999. E-Class and S-Class continue to dominate respective market segments The new E-Class was the
leading performer in its segment in 2002. The 100,000th E-Class sedan
was delivered to its new owner just six months after production of the
first unit. This represents the most successful market launch in the
history of Mercedes-Benz. Overall sales of the E-Class rose by 20 percent
to 242,300 vehicles in 2002. |
|
||||
|
Says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes Car Group: "The outstanding response to the new E-Class enabled us to increase our market share substantially and extend our market leadership worldwide in the upper-range segment from 25 percent last year to 30 percent in 2002." The response to the updated S-Class has also been very positive. The vehicle has been modified in many respects and was unveiled to the public at the Paris Auto Show at the end of September. "With pioneering innovations such as the PRE-SAFE occupant protection system or the electronically controlled 4MATIC, the updated S-Class is once again setting the trends in the luxury segment. This is the foundation of our world market leadership in the segment with a market share of 45 percent," says Hubbert. "Our expertise in 12-cylinder engine technology and our unmatched position in the diesel segment, where we have a world market share of over 70 percent, are also what make the S-Class number one in the luxury segment." The SL Roadster also performed extremely well in 2002. Sales of 31,400 vehicles represent a fourfold increase from the prior year and have boosted the model's leading market share worldwide in the segment for exclusive roadsters to more than 60 percent. The SL is particularly popular in the U.S., where 13,700 units were sold in 2002. Mercedes-Benz also performed exceedingly well in the SUV segment in 2002. In what is an increasingly competitive market, Mercedes-Benz sold 102,000 M-Class models, thereby topping the100,000-vehicle mark for the third consecutive year. In Western Europe, the M-Class extended its market leadership in the SUV segment with a market share of about 22 percent, with help from the popular diesel versions offered here. With a market share of 38 percent in Germany, the M-Class came in well ahead of all its rivals in this segment. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class also continued its success story. Worldwide sales of the classic off-roader rose by 45 percent to 8,700 units. In the U.S. in particular, this unique vehicle is becoming a sales hit: A total of 3,700 G-Class vehicles have been sold in North America since market launch in November 2001. Because of the world wide success of the M- and G-Class, Mercedes-Benz achieved its best-ever sales result in the SUV segment. The model family strategy was implemented with great success in 2002, particularly with respect to the C-Class models. Sales of the C-Class Sports Coupé, for example, rose by more than 25 percent to reach the record level of 74,300 vehicles. The C-Class station wagon also enjoyed huge demand worldwide. Sales of this model increased by 38 percent to 72,300 vehicles. All in all, 478,300 C-Class vehicles were delivered worldwide in 2002. Sales figures for the A-Class remain at a high level five years after market launch. A total of 171,700 units were sold in 2002, which means the A-Class is set to pass the one million sales mark in 2003, in what is still its first product cycle. In particular, the long-wheelbase version of the A-Class, which was introduced in 2001, has generated new momentum: In 2002, a total of 69,100 units (40 percent) of this version were sold. Worldwide share of diesel versions increases to 37 percent of all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars In 2002 more than 410,000 customers ordered a Mercedes-Benz passenger car with a diesel engine. The number of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars equipped with a diesel engine has increased from 28 to 37 percent of the whole product range. "This record reflects the extraordinary expertise of Mercedes-Benz in diesel technology, specifically with Common-Rail-Technology, improving its high acceptance in all important diesel markets worldwide," emphasized Dr. Schmidt. Worldwide sales of smart rise to 122,300 vehicles The smart performed exceptionally well in 2002. Sales of the city-coupé and the convertible model rose by more than five percent to 122,300 units (2001: 116,200). Germany is still the most important market for the micro-car, with sales of 43,600 units, followed by Italy (32,000), Great Britain (9.600) and France (8,500). The innovative vehicle concept has also gotten off to a highly successful start in Japan, where sales rose by 35 percent to 6,100 vehicles in the first year following the brand's market launch. smart's transition to a multi-product brand continued in 2002. "The market launch of the smart roadster and the smart roadster-coupé in the 2003 model year will be a key step toward increasing our product range, thereby underscoring the brand's potential," says Andreas Renschler, Member of the Divisional Board of Management at the Mercedes Car Group and Managing Director of smart GmbH. Maybach sets new standards in the world of luxury automobiles The world premiere of the Maybach in New York in 2002 marked the return of a high-end luxury brand that sets new standards in exclusiveness and individualization in the world of luxury automobiles. The number of orders for the vehicle rose to more than 1,000 units by the end of 2002. This figure covers around one year's production capacity in the Maybach manufacturing facility at the DaimlerChrysler plant in Sindelfingen. As planned, deliveries to the first customers began at the end of 2002. Source: DaimlerChrysler
|
||||||
