September was a record month for Mercedes-Benz, the luxury brand sold more vehicles than any other month prior. In total, Mercedes sold 142,994 new cars to customers all around the globe, for a growth of 15.9%. Since the beginning of 2013, 1,062,638 cars have been sold, an increase of 10.1%. The third quarter was particularly successful for the company in the United States and China which is in part why Mercedes recorded massive growth of 18.0% or 368,201 vehicles sold in the third quarter.
Mercedes-Benz also expanded its market shares in Europe and remains the most-registered premium brand in Germany, Japan and the United States. Much of this growth can be attributed to the compact models and the new E-Class, which was launched to great success. The new S-Class is already leading the way of new vehicle registrations in Germany, and with its launch in the Chinese market in September its global presence and position will be further strengthened.
Mercedes-Benz USA September 2013 Sales
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) also reported the highest September sales in its history with 27,474 units sold across the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines—an increase of 5.8% from the 25,980 vehicles sold in September 2012. Retail volumes for the Mercedes-Benz brand rose 6.7% over the same period last year to 24,697, while year-to-date sales hit a benchmark 215,056 units, up 12.2%. Adding year-to-date sales of 14,940 for Sprinter Vans and 6,937 vehicles at smart, MBUSA’s year-to-date total reached 236,933 units, marking a best-ever third quarter for both the Mercedes-Benz brand and MBUSA.
“We’re making history this month and not just in terms of our record sales pace,” said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA. “September marked a recalibration moment for Mercedes-Benz as we began delivery of our new gateway, the CLA, to dealerships across the country. After just over a week on the market, this car sold more than 2,300 units. We’re confident the CLA will be a driving point of our success as we head toward another banner sales year.”
September sales for the Mercedes-Benz brand were led by the C-, E- and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class took the top spot at 6,389 units sold, followed by the E-Class with sales of 5,647 vehicles, up 17.0%. MBUSA’s top-selling SUV, the M-Class, rounded out the top three at 3,180 units, a 30.4% increase over the same period last year.
In total, sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars climbed 10.9% compared to the first three quarters of 2012, increasing to 138,282 from 124,637. Likewise, the brand’s light truck offerings were up 14.6% from the 66,981 units sold in the first nine months of 2012 to 76,774 in 2013.
The Sprinter model line posted a month-to-date increase of 20.0% to 2,152 units, boosted by sales of the redesigned 2014 lineup which began rolling into dealerships at the beginning of September. Month-to-date volumes at smart reached 625 units.
Sales of Mercedes-Benz’s BlueTEC diesel models were 1,364 in September, up 193.3% from the 465 vehicles sold during the same period last year. The company’s high-performance AMG models finished the month with sales of 675, up 48.4% from September 2012.
Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 6,649 vehicles in September. On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 72,890 vehicles, up 22.3% over the 59,586 units sold during the comparable period in 2012.
