Mercedes-Benz expects to report a worldwide sales increase in the first quarter
By Andrew C., 26 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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In the first quarter, Mercedes-Benz expects that it will be able to post a sales increase of more than 10% worldwide, according to a report by a German magazine. This surge in sales is believed to be helped by the US demand for its E-class and S-class models as the economy recovers. In an interview with the online edition of Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes-Benz Cars sales chief Joachim Schmidt said that the demand for E-class and S-class vehicles was particularly strong in the US and China. In fact, US sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and SUVs increased by 26% in March.
However, Schmidt admitted that the brand struggles in the German home market. He describes sales for the first two months of 2010 to still be "restrained" after dropping 14% last year. Schmidt has a target for 2010 sales in Germany to match last year. In the past year, government incentives around the world have helped out mass market brands like Volkswagen.
On the other hand, premium carmakers including Mercedes and BMW were not as fortunate and felt the full brunt of the recession. Since scrapping programs only had private consumers in mind, the premium carmakers (which relied on fleet sales for their larger, more-powerful and more-expensive models) did not benefit from them. But it appears now that the economies are on the road to recovery; hence, sales for these companies are beginning to pick up once again. [via autonews - sub. required]
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