Mercedes-Benz USA Records 12,101 New Vehicle January 2005 Sales

MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 1, 2005 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported sales of 12,101 new vehicles for January 2005, down 20.2 percent from last January.

The company plans to significantly expand its presence in the luxury light truck segment with two major introductions this year: the all new M-Class in the spring (replacing the previous generation which ended production last year), followed by the R-Class which represents a new segment that MBUSA calls the Sports Tourer segment. These models will further expand MBUSA's position as offering the widest product portfolio in the luxury vehicle market and the company expects to record yet another record year in 2005.

Separately, the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned vehicle program reported sales of 3,522 units, an 18 percent decrease versus the previous January.

MBUSA, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at http://www.mbusa.com/.

                            MERCEDES-BENZ USA
                          Sales -- January 2005

  Model    January '05  January '04  Monthly %  YTD 2005  YTD 2004  Yearly %

  C-CLASS     3,548        4,763       -25.5%     3,548     4,763   -25.5%

  E-CLASS     2,725        3,866       -29.5%     2,725     3,866   -29.5%

  S-CLASS     1,064        1,453       -26.8%     1,064     1,453   -26.8%

  CL-CLASS      135          175       -22.9%       135       175   -22.9%

  SL-CLASS      677        1,222       -44.6%       677     1,222   -44.6%

  CLK-CLASS   1,225        1,408       -13.0%     1,225     1,408   -13.0%

  SLK-CLASS     881          273       222.7%       881       273   222.7%

  CLS-CLASS     778          n/a          n/a       778       n/a      n/a

  M-CLASS       980        1,859       -47.3%       980     1,859   -47.3%

  G-CLASS        88          150       -41.3%        88       150   -41.3%

  GRAND
   TOTAL     12,101       15,169       -20.2%    12,101    15,169   -20.2%