Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) registered their best sales performance to date with a record 7467 passenger cars and commercial vehicles sold, surpassing the 6940 vehicles sold in 2010 by 7.6 per cent. Buoyed by the positive market sentiments and consumer spending, MBM’s passenger cars division maintained its lead in the premium passenger car market with a steady growth throughout the year closing 2011 with a new sales record of 5431 units, nine per cent higher than the company’s best performance to date of 5003 units sold in 2010.
The Mercedes-Benz C and E-Classes charted sterling performances accounting for 82 percent of total passenger car sales sold in 2011 led by the fuel-efficient CGI Blue EFFICIENCY variants. The trendy Mercedes-Benz C-Class led the marque’s passenger car sales, posting an impressive 15 per cent growth to deliver 2249 units compared to 1956 in 2010. The introduction of the new generation C-Class in July 2011 also sparked strong customer demand and boosted sales for the segment.
An all-time favourite, the elegant Mercedes-Benz E-Class reaffirmed its preferred status with over 2200 units sold, up three per cent. Since their introduction into the local market in 2010, the fuel-efficient C and E-Class CGI EFFICIENCY variants have garnered remarkable customer response. The C200 and C250 CGI variants and the E200 and E250 CGI variants contributed 40 per cent and 32 per cent respectively to overall car sales. The comfortable and spacious Mercedes-Benz B-Class boasted a whopping 53 per cent sales growth, delivering 633 units in 2011 compared to 413 units previously.
The marque’s renowned flagship, the luxurious Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class, continues to be a class above the rest with 246 units delivered in the 2011. The S300L model and S350L Blue Direct introduced in June led the segment accounting for 85 per cent of total S-Class sales.The Mercedes-Benz M-Class premium SUV and the family-oriented R-Class continues to generate favourable interest with 51 and 45 units respectively.
Sales within Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s Commercial Vehicles division rose five per cent to 2036 units. Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles posted stellar growth of 97.2 per cent delivering 280 units in 2011. While the tsunami in Japan had a marginal impact on the assembly of Mitsubishi FUSO trucks, the brand still achieved commendable sales with 1756 units delivered. The Mitsubishi FUSO EURO II Canter launched in 2010, led FUSO sales with over 1550 units sold.
Mercedes is off to a great start in 2012 with new passenger and commercial vehicle launches in Q1. The new models will deepen and widen their portfolio of offerings to existing customers while opening up new market segments.
