Mercedes Reports Year End Sales
5 January 1998
Mercedes Records Highest Year In Its History With 122,265 Vehicles Sold During 1997
Sales Double Over Five-Year Period
DETROIT, Jan. 5 -- Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.
(MBNA), reported record-breaking year-end sales of 122,265 vehicles in 1997, a
34.6 percent increase over the 90,844 vehicles sold in 1996. The 1997 sales
volume is the highest in the company's U.S. history and represents a doubling
of the company's sales volume over a five-year period.
"In 1993, with the introduction of the C-Class, Mercedes-Benz began an
aggressive product and marketing offensive unlike anything we'd ever
undertaken before. Our goal was to provide nothing less than the best, most
innovative, value-driven product available for consumers in the market for
vehicles $28,000 or more. Our sales increases, year after year, underscore
both our commitment to, and the success of, this strategy in the U.S.," said
Michael Bassermann, chairman and chief executive officer for MBNA.
Dominating the calendar year sales volumes were the Mercedes-Benz core
model lines -- the C-, E-, S-, and SL Class vehicles. E-Class sedans and
wagons led with sales of 42,883, an increase of 13 percent over the 37,956
sold in 1996. C-Class sales increased 13.3 percent from 28,715 to 32,543. S-
Class sedans and CL coupes showed a marginal decline of 6.9 percent from
17,317 to 16,119. Sales of the renowned SL coupe/roadster models increased
17.1 percent from 6,856 to 8,025.
The company's new-for-1998 models also reflected strong demand with sales
of 6,890 for the SLK roadster which was introduced in January while the CLK
coupe introduced in September, posted sales of 1,236. The highly acclaimed
ML320 all-activity vehicle -- recipient of many prestigious awards since its
introduction in September, including 1998 North American Truck of the Year and
Motor Trend's Truck of the Year -- recorded sales of 14,569.
Sales for the month of December totaled 14,638, a 71 percent increase over
December 1996. The C-Class model line had the strongest month in its history
with sales of 3,451, a 26.3 percent increase over the 2,732 vehicles sold
during the same month in the previous year. E-Class sales came in at 3,756,
up 1.9 percent from the 3,684 sold during December 1996. S-Class/CL sales
totaled 1,364, down 9.4 percent from 1,505 while sales of the SL models
increased 12.5 percent from 631 to 710. SLK sales for the month were 716;
CLK, 553 and ML320, 4,088.
According to Bassermann, "Our business performance has truly revved up in
the United States and has now accelerated into the record books. We now have
the horsepower to maintain the momentum. For 1998, our new entries will be
ramped up to full speed, and diversified further. As our product offensive
continues, we project U.S. sales on the order of 140,000 units for 1998 and
our efforts for the immediate future will be on sustaining this record-setting
volume."
SOURCE Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.
