It is always a close race and it has been a year to year battle to take the top spot in Malaysia where the rivals have been working hard to bring new and exciting models to take this position at the top of the premium segment.
Now we get confirmation that Mercedes-Benz Malaysia had taken the top spot for 2019 despite a fall in the overall performance of the segment due to negative economic forces in 2019.
PRESS RELEASE: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) closes 2019 retaining the leading position in the premium luxury segment with a total of 10,020 cars sold and capturing a 1.8 per cent market share in the country. The pole position is a result beyond sales and exemplifies Mercedes-Benz outstanding effort through a customer-centric strategy, holistically delivering on innovative technology and advancements, mobility solutions as well as products to meet customer’s preference.
MBM President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner said, “We wrap up the decade on a great note as we continue to grow our customer base and set our footing in the country. 2019 was a year where we placed great emphasis on expanding our product offensive with innovative technology and emotional design, catering to the needs of our customers. We also celebrated the 15th year anniversary of local production excellence noting the 100,000th vehicle roll out milestone and the commencement of Philippines export initiatives. Through a solid leadership and vision, we reaffirmed our commitment to the Malaysian market and our customers in delivering the Best Product and Best Customer Experiences.”
Vice President of Sales and Marketing at MBM, Michael Jopp added “Despite facing headwinds, we ended the year on a strong note to cement our position in premium automotive segment. We delivered 10,020 cars to our Malaysian customers signifying a continuous mark of confidence towards our brand. We are fully confident that 2019 has set up a great tone as we power up a great momentum for the new decade.”
Key launches that took place includes the E-Class with the debuting the E 350 AMG Line, E 200 SPORTSTYLE Avantgarde and the E 300 Exclusive Line, the A-Class saloon with models A200 and A250, the latest GLC and GLE SUV models, the Mercedes-AMG A35, the Mercedes-AMG GT R and GT C, the new GLC 200, 300 and 300 Coupe SUV models. The year also witnessed the launch of a trio of cars adding to the AMG line-up featuring the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé, and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S.
MBM presented its first ever S-Class Plug-in Hybrid, the S 560 e, a true embodiment of luxury with electric intelligence. The Mercedes-Benz EQ brand experience also featured the highly-anticipated Southeast Asian premiere of the all-electric EQC, positioning Mercedes-Benz as pioneers of sustainable mobility. The EQ range signifies a new era of mobility in the country without compromising on luxury, comfort, quality, design and driving dynamics.
Local production witnessed excellence with new milestones and initiatives in 2019. The Philippines export initiative marked a new chapter with the Mercedes-Benz C 180 left-hand drive assuming the first stage of export, signifying the start of similar initiatives within the SEA region.
MBM’s Pekan Plant production efficiency and expertise also contributed to the 100,000th vehicle roll out in 2019. The impressive CKD production line-up stands at 13 variants from five model lines; C-Class, E-Class and S-Class sedans, GLC and GLC Coupe SUVs, as well as two Mercedes-AMG models, the C 43 and the GLC 43.
In pursuit of our Best Customer Experience initiative, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s introduced a new brand presence and experience, elevating modern luxury at dealerships at the Mercedes-Benz Autohaus in Mutiara Damansara. This saw the transformation of a conventional point of sale to an immense point of experience, a place where a customer can encounter the Mercedes-Benz Cars brand family and immerse themselves in a fascinating car purchasing and ownership journey.
With an incomparable specialty in providing a range of comprehensive and innovative finance and insurance solutions for Mercedes-Benz customers, Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia (MBSM) continued to offer innovative ownership solutions to provide our customers with the peace of mind when purchasing a car. Throughout 2019, MBSM financed five out of every 10 Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold and has a concrete servicing portfolio of MYR 2.6 billion.
The financial arm of MBM recorded new contracts worth over RM 1 billion and introduced new financing and insurance solutions such as Mobility Plus, the first-of-its-kind car replacement program in Malaysia’s auto financing industry along with Lease@Ease, an all-in-one lease payment plan with value added services such as Tyre & Rims and Comprehensive Insurance with Service and Maintenance.
Efforts in demonstrating impeccable after-sales service led to a record-breaking throughput of 165,299 vehicles, an 11% increase over the 148,800 units managed in 2018. Customer experience enhancements in the year included the introduction of Express Service 2.0 and online appointment bookings. Mercedes me connect and Mercedes me adapter were also introduced to allow customers to become part of an intelligently connect world with direct access to their vehicles at the tip of their fingers.
As an invested organization with a long-term commitment in the country, MBM proactively contributed to the development of the nation’s highly skilled home-grown talent in the automotive industry through the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Training Academy. 2019 witnessed the graduation of an additional 30 apprentices as they transformed into globally certified technicians through the Advance Modern Apprenticeship Programme, bringing the total to 853 globally certified local apprentices since the inception of the training programme.
On its outlook for the year ahead, Dr Weidner said, “2020 will be a memorable, exciting year for Mercedes-Benz with refreshing innovations and new products to elevate the customer experience.”
