April 2013 - Mercedes-Benz USA

[William Maley]

Mercedes-Benz Sails Into Second Quarter With Record April Sales Of 23,635

• MBUSA sees double-digit growth at 101,371 units sold

MONTVALE, N.J., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported the highest second quarter start in its history with record April sales of 26,157, a 4.4% increase overApril 2012. Mercedes-Benz models alone saw a 5.8% gain in sales volume at 23,635 bringing year-to-date totals for the brand to 92,822. Combined with monthly sales from smart (667) and Sprinter Vans (1,855) MBUSA saw a year-to-date total of 101,371, a 10.2% increase over the previous year, making this April the earliest month ever to break 100,000 units.

"We've entered the second quarter of 2013 at an incredible pace," said Steve Cannon , president and CEO of MBUSA. "A record first quarter gave us a great start. With our completely redesigned E-Class now in showrooms, I fully expect to see continued momentum in the months ahead."

Mercedes-Benz April sales were driven by the C-, E-, and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class – the current gateway to the brand on the car side for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – took the lead, posting sales of 7,338, up 14.2%. The E-Class, which receives a complete redesign for 2014 now available in dealerships, followed with sales of 4,431. MBUSA's top-selling SUV, the M-Class, rounded out the top three with sales of 3,280. At the high-end, strong performers were the company's flagship S-Class, which saw 16.4% growth, and the SL-Class, which increased 275.2% over April 2012.

The Sprinter model line saw sales of 1,855 for the month, while smart recorded sales of 667 vehicles.

Sales of the high-performance AMG models were 574 for the month, up 8.5% from the same period last year. Sales of the company's BlueTEC diesel models finished the month of April at 1,171.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 8,748 vehicles in April, an increase of 37.4% when compared to April 2012 (sales of 6,368 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 33,118 vehicles, an increase of 26.0% over the comparable period (with sales of 26,292 vehicles).