In the past year, Mercedes has updated and expanded its compact lineup in addition to bringing out a new version of the S class and a revamped E-class sedan. First-half sales jumped 13% to 783,500 autos, outpacing gains at the other two premium manufacturers, as demand for the S class surged. Even so, Mercedes remained almost 103,000 deliveries behind BMW in the period. The three German carmakers are all targeting record sales this year. Second-quarter Ebit at Mercedes-Benz Cars jumped 35% to 1.41 billion euros, while Daimler Trucks posted a 4.8% increase to 455 million euros. The carmaker stuck to targets to “significantly” increase Ebit from ongoing business, sales and deliveries this year. Daimler scaled back its forecast for global auto-market growth to 4% from a predicted 4% to 5% range.
