June 2013: Mercedes-Benz USA

[William Maley]

Mercedes-Benz Posts Best Second-Quarter Finish With June Sales Of 24,415

• Historic year-to-date highs at MBUSA exceed 155,000 units

MONTVALE, N.J., July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported combined sales of 27,162 for June, a 7.0% increase over the same month last year. Sales totals at Mercedes-Benz rose 9.8% to 24,415, bringing year-to-date volumes for the brand to a milestone 141,950 units. Sprinter Vans posted strong year-to-date sales of 9,483, which combined with year-to-date sales of 4,459 from smart to bring MBUSA's first-half total to 155,892. This marks the best second-quarter finish in the company's history and the sixth consecutive month of best-ever sales for 2013.

"We're on record pace through June hitting the highest first-half sales in our 48-year history and we're not slowing down," saidSteve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA. "Consumer confidence is on the rise, our product portfolio is expanding from top to bottom, and our dealer relations are at an all-time high. This is a set of ingredients that will allow us to really accelerate our market momentum into another banner year."

Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. Volume leaders for the month were the C-, E- and M-Class model lines. The sporty C-Class—the current gateway to the brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers—took the top spot at 7,639 units, up 17.4% from June 2012. The completely redesigned E-Class followed at 5,181, while MBUSA's top-selling SUV, the M-Class, finished the top three with sales of 3,651 (up 26.3% from June 2012). Strong performers at the high end included Mercedes-Benz's iconic grand tourer, the SL-Class, up 91.9%, and the award-winning GL-Class SUV which increased 24.8% over the same time last year.

As a whole, sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars jumped 10.2% compared to the first-half of 2012, increasing from 82,275 in June of last year to 90,650. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz's light truck offerings posted a year-to-date increase of 10.6%, from 46,319 units sold in the first six months of 2012 to 51,300 during the same period this year.

The Sprinter model line saw sales of 1,966 for the month, while smart posted volumes of 781 units.

Sales of the company's BlueTEC diesel models were 1,414 for the month, up 10.2% from the same period last year. On the high-performance side, AMG models finished the month of June with sales of 464.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 7,773 vehicles in June; an increase of 17.9% when compared to June 2012 (sales of 6,593 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 49,004 vehicles, an increase of 24.3% over the comparable period (with sales of 39,419 vehicles).