July 2016: Mercedes-Benz USA

[William Maley]

Mercedes-Benz USA July Sales Hit All-Time High Of 28,523 Units, Up 3.6%

 

ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported record July sales of 28,523 vehicles, increasing 3.6% from the 27,526 vehicles sold during the same month last year. Mercedes-Benz Vans also reported best-ever July sales with 3,272 units, and smart reported 493 units, up 11.8%, bringing MBUSA grand total to 32,288 vehicles for the month, up 7.2% from last year.

 

"We are continuing to see strong momentum build into the third quarter, fueled by the recent launch of three of our dream cars," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "The S-Class Cabriolet, SL and SLC Roadsters, teamed with strong momentum for the all-new E-Class helped us set a new record for July."

 

Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in July included the C-Class, E-Class (including the CLS) and GLE model lines. The C-Class took the lead at 6,304, followed by the E-Class at 5,225. The GLE, rounded out the top three with 4,412 units sold.

 

Mercedes-AMG high-performance models sold 1,565 units in July, up 68.1% from last year (931), with a total of 12,510 units sold year-to-date (up 79.3%).

 

Separately, Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 10,517 vehicles in July, an increase of 8.8% from last year (9,669). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 70,863 vehicles, an increase of 3.4%.

 

MERCEDES-BENZ USA  Sales -- July 2016
Mercedes-Benz  Passenger Vehicles	Jul-16	Jul-15	Monthly %	YTD 2016	YTD 2015	Yearly %
B-CLASS	50	196	-74.5%	360	1,368	-73.7%
CLA	2,284	2,439	-6.4%	15,895	18,542	-14.3%
C-CLASS	6,304	6,384	-1.3%	43,609	49,721	-12.3%
E-CLASS/CLS	5,225	6,131	-14.8%	27,683	31,184	-11.2%
S-CLASS	1,783	1,415	26.0%	10,276	12,047	-14.7%
SLC/SLK	238	324	-26.5%	1,975	2,404	-17.8%
SL	279	330	-15.5%	2,077	2,531	-17.9%
AMG GT	57	89	-	735	696	-
*SLS AMG	-	0	-	1	27	-
GLA	1,502	2,040	-26.4%	14,317	14,353	-0.3%
GLC/GLK	3,411	2,318	47.2%	26,802	16,153	65.9%
GLE/M-CLASS	4,412	3,851	14.6%	29,598	26,811	10.4%
GLS/GL	2,670	1,755	52.1%	15,550	14,693	5.8%
G-CLASS	308	254	21.3%	2,422	1,962	23.4%
TOTAL	28,523	27,526	3.6%	191,300	192,492	-0.6%
Vans1	3,272	2,163	51.3%	19,034	15,697	21.3%
smart	493	441	11.8%	3,086	4,065	-24.1%
MBUSA  Combined Total	Jul-16	Jul-15	Monthly %	YTD 2016	YTD 2015	Yearly %
GRAND TOTAL	32,288	30,130	7.2%	213,420	212,254	0.5%
1Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner Sprinter and Metris Vans are sold and marketed in the U.S. by Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans USA, respectively. *out of production

 

[smk4565]

All time high.  Enjoy 2nd place BMW.

[balthazar]

Wow; every single car line down double-digits. S-class down 15%, that's a $150 million dollar hit right there.

 

Better spin up more CUVs/SUVs.

[Suaviloquent]

S-Class is up 26%. I think you might mean the E-Class, that's down, but that has more to do with limited supply and the new model change over now in effect.

[balthazar]

Check 'Year To Date'.

[G. David Felt]

So SUV's and Vans is what is holding MB together. Not their so called vaunted cars.

[William Maley]

So SUV's and Vans is what is holding MB together. Not their so called vaunted cars.

 

But SUVs are also holding a number of other automakers together. See Buick, Volvo, Mazda, and Audi to name a few.

[G. David Felt]

 

So SUV's and Vans is what is holding MB together. Not their so called vaunted cars.

 

But SUVs are also holding a number of other automakers together. See Buick, Volvo, Mazda, and Audi to name a few.

 

True, but then we have those that also continue to say MB is all about the superior cars to everyone else. If this was true then their cars would still be selling like gangbuster rather than dropping double digits in comparison to the SUV/CUV. 

 

I just think this proves that MB is at the same wims of the public that everyone else is.

[smk4565]

Year to date Mercedes has 102,301 car sales, which is 53.5% of their 191,300 total.  I doubt any other luxury car maker has that much volume in cars or that high a percentage, except maybe BMW since they sell so many 3-series.  Most luxury brands are SUV dependent, although Benz crossovers are the best also, so not surprising that they are all surging in sales.

[Suaviloquent]

And are SUV's based off the same platforms as cars; only being jacked up and adding plastic body cladding that is supposed to look macho, but folds in half by being hit by a twig - ARE THOSE NOT CARS?

[Suaviloquent]

Check 'Year To Date'.

 

Not too bad, BMW recently redid the 7 Series, and it isn't growing either.

 

All flagship sedans are down.  All sedans are down, for the most part.

 

If any sedan is gaining, it's probably because it's fresh and the competitors are now in the middle of their product cycle.

 

It is expected for sales to eventually tail off in the product cycle. The Buick Lacrosse has been on sale for a wile now too. It's also down year to date. Where is the excuse for an all new model?

[smk4565]

The ATS, CTS, XTS and CT6 combined for 5,285 sales, the E-class has 5,225.

[balthazar]

Nice.

 

E-classes are the Camry of the luxury tier- they're everywhere. Bo-Ring.

[Suaviloquent]

Yet for Cadillac to succeed in terms of sales, and Cadillac does want sales, they'd become the Camry of luxury tier as well.

 

In their home market, it is embarrassing for any American make to be outdone by any competitor, especially foreign branded ones.

[balthazar]

Yet for Cadillac to succeed in terms of sales, and Cadillac does want sales, they'd become the Camry of luxury tier as well.

 Not if they're not the "NUMBA1 ALLTIME SALES KING!!" IE: the CAMRY.

 

In their home market, it is embarrassing for any American make to be outdone by any competitor, especially foreign branded ones.

Nah; now everybody's on the 'global' bandwagon, and just like Mercedes massive fleet & livery sales in Germany (not to mention all the commercial trucks & vans) doesn't bother those that buy the high end models, consumers at large have zero interest in how many are sold in the segment vs. competitors.

 

And while it may at first seem like those are contradictory answers, my point is trumpeting that you sell thousands & thousand more than anyone else in the segment is not befitting of a true luxury brand, but then again; Mercedes has chosen to forsake that in the name of volume. IOW; it's not a reason to buy a luxury product, esp when it gets to be at the level of mainstream. But there's acres & acres of space between Cadillac's sales levels & Mercedes.

The consumer doesn't care about actual numbers relative to other brands… but "BIGGEST MONTH EVAH", repeatedly, smacks of hucksterism. 

General Motors should stop reporting monthly Cadillac sales and only issue annual… tho I suspect that's some sort of federal mandate or the like. 

Edited August 4, 2016 by balthazar

[smk4565]

So in this thread Mercedes was criticized for their sedan sales being down, and also criticized for selling too many E-class sedans!

[Suaviloquent]

Well I don't agree with contradictory statements, but I don't like sales trumpeting, but it isn't Mercedes that's doing it. I have rarely seen a Mercedes commercial or any advert referencing large sales volume, but the CLA which I hate did have that super bowl, low price, high cleavage ad. Very good, the cleavage part.

 

But it's not like Mercedes doesn't try to make their cars exclusive.

 

Add up all the incentives, they're still the priciest of the lot, and like most luxury vehicles, depreciate quickly.

 

I would say that Mercedes should raise prices or cut incentives, to fatten transaction prices - something I wholly say Cadillac should do as well, atleast for certain models.

[balthazar]

So in this thread Mercedes was criticized for their sedan sales being down, and also criticized for selling too many E-class sedans!

 

• MB has pushed so hard for volume that their product in the U.S. has become commonplace & ubitquitous; not hallmarks of a luxury item. Or at least they are around me.

 

• The mention of their car sales sliding heavily was a dig directly at you, SMK; glad you caught it.

 

- - - - -

Does anyone know if public releases of monthly sales is legal requirement? They have to be reported I believe, but to whom??

Edited August 4, 2016 by balthazar

[Cmicasa the Great]

S-Class is up 26%. I think you might mean the E-Class, that's down, but that has more to do with limited supply and the new model change over now in effect.

 

 

Yeah but of course U would ignore the fact that now Benzo is combining CLS and E-Class sales. $h! if this is cool.. why not just combine CTS and ATS sales? And before someone says it.. the CLS interior volume is almost less overall than an ATS

[Cmicasa the Great]

The ATS, CTS, XTS and CT6 combined for 5,285 sales, the E-class has 5,225.

 

 

Correction.. the E-Class and CLS are a combined 5225. I will also add that the E-Class can be had for $329 per month.. Cheap ass $h!. f@#k Mercedes.  Takes a wee bit of splash away from your celebration. 

[smk4565]

I think they combined it because it is the same chassis and wheelbase, but also since BMW combines 3 and 4 series, even though E-class is a different segment.  I don't know why the combined it really, CLS sales aren't much, but they have other cars that only sell 250 a month.

 

You can lease a rear drive 2016 E-class for $499 a month (36 months) and $5,300 down.  A 2017 E300 4Matic ($55,575 MSRP) is $569 a month with $5,263 due.  Not $329 a month.  A Cadillac CT6 1SD package ($60k MSRP) lease is $579 for 39 months $4,719 due at signing.  These are the advertised lease specials on the company websites, they are basically the same.

 

To Sauv's point about raising prices, Mercedes is already the highest priced car in almost every segment they are in, no reason to go higher.

[Suaviloquent]

Well, Casa!

 

Good $h! sherlock, I don't care whether they add sales numbers or not, you always do that with GMC and Buick, yet how will that justify the Lacrosse being down 35%?

[ccap41]

I think they combined it because it is the same chassis and wheelbase, but also since BMW combines 3 and 4 series, even though E-class is a different segment.  I don't know why the combined it really, CLS sales aren't much, but they have other cars that only sell 250 a month.

 

You can lease a rear drive 2016 E-class for $499 a month (36 months) and $5,300 down.  A 2017 E300 4Matic ($55,575 MSRP) is $569 a month with $5,263 due.  Not $329 a month.  A Cadillac CT6 1SD package ($60k MSRP) lease is $579 for 39 months $4,719 due at signing.  These are the advertised lease specials on the company websites, they are basically the same.

 

To Sauv's point about raising prices, Mercedes is already the highest priced car in almost every segment they are in, no reason to go higher.

I HATE hearing "lease specials" because those are always the "ultra low" mileage leases meaning something like 8-10k miles a year or so. Change that to something more realistic and it jumps $25-50/month if not more if you drive a lot.

[Suaviloquent]

I don't want to burst people's bubbles, but if Cadillac was solely about low volumes and high ATPS, they would never allow for any compromise in the CT6, they should have superflous options like CC brakes that their V Models don't need, and they would be priced into the stratosphere.

 

But they won't do it, because they want these SALES.

 

It is embarrassing to be outsold in their home market, and atleast the German brands don't have any competition from America in Europe at all. It's not even fair. 

 

Here though, there's too much on the line, and Cadillac better pucker up and be in it for sales and profits at the same time. 

[balthazar]

EVERY VEHICLE encompasses compromises.

 

You have to pony up for the AMG option on the S-class to get CC brakes there. Non-AMG Ss don't have them.

Is that a compromise, because there is (not yet) a CT6-V and what equipment it may have is totally unknown. Hell, the TTV8 isn't out yet.

 

Cadillac NEVER needs to approach the mainstream production levels of MB. They were too high in the late '70s, Cadillac's traditional volume level is the low 200s in the last 50 yrs. That's where they should level off at; 200-250K in the U.S. 

[smk4565]

If Cadillac doesn't have sales volume, how do they justify making things like the Omega platform or Alfa platform or new engines, etc.  It costs money to do all that, that is why Lincoln is a Ford badge job, because Lincoln doesn't have the volume to generate enough profit for Ford to give them their own platforms or engines.   Cadillac's global sales are small, they rely on the USA, so if they can't grow here, they better find sales outside the USA.

[balthazar]

• Cadillac has "sales volume", it just doesn't need 350,000 units here. There are numbers between 175K and 350K, you do realize.

 

• Omega platform is proprietary Cadillac product, essential moving forward. Yep- costs money; good thing Cadillac is profitable.

 

• Cadillac has "grown here", U.S. sales are up 60% since '09 (Canadian sales are up 159% in the same period). ((Ahhh; percentages…. the internet saber rattle!)) They need to bump back up over the 200K mark (the brand was there '02-07), then stay focused, because ATPS are in excellent standing.
 

[Cmicasa the Great]

I think they combined it because it is the same chassis and wheelbase, but also since BMW combines 3 and 4 series, even though E-class is a different segment.  I don't know why the combined it really, CLS sales aren't much, but they have other cars that only sell 250 a month.

 

You can lease a rear drive 2016 E-class for $499 a month (36 months) and $5,300 down.  A 2017 E300 4Matic ($55,575 MSRP) is $569 a month with $5,263 due.  Not $329 a month.  A Cadillac CT6 1SD package ($60k MSRP) lease is $579 for 39 months $4,719 due at signing.  These are the advertised lease specials on the company websites, they are basically the same.

 

To Sauv's point about raising prices, Mercedes is already the highest priced car in almost every segment they are in, no reason to go higher.

 

 

The point is to U and that blow hard souiliquent (whatever).. the E-Class is combining sale.. no matter the amount.. its sales are augmented. Furthermore the E-Class is being sold at a much discounted price in order to move metal for the upcoming model. 

[Cmicasa the Great]

Well, Casa!

 

Good $h! sherlock, I don't care whether they add sales numbers or not, you always do that with GMC and Buick, yet how will that justify the Lacrosse being down 35%?

 

 

Sorry Babygirl.. but neither Buick or GMC.. two mainstream brands need my help in combining sales. I will say that they are a sister brands sold under the same roof and for all intent.. and logistical purposes the upper-mirror of any Chevy dealership, no different if GMC just took over all of Buick's car models and called them GMC (GMC Lacrosse for instance) or Vice-Versa (Buick Sierra). Either way.. Buick is a global 1 Mil+ seller.. and GMC is a stateside 500K + seller. They are quite well. 

 

Mercedes combining sales of the E and CLS is the equivalent of the ATS and CTS being combined then.. as they are the same in almost every way except length

[Cmicasa the Great]

If Cadillac doesn't have sales volume, how do they justify making things like the Omega platform or Alfa platform or new engines, etc.  It costs money to do all that, that is why Lincoln is a Ford badge job, because Lincoln doesn't have the volume to generate enough profit for Ford to give them their own platforms or engines.   Cadillac's global sales are small, they rely on the USA, so if they can't grow here, they better find sales outside the USA.

 

 

Because unlike Benz.. or BMW.. Cadillac is a part of a whole. It has sister brands that allow for its existence in teh same way that Audi exists within VW. If U don't think Cadillac brings massive profit to GM then U are a fool. They and U can paint the pic the way U want.. but in truth Cadillac has models that are platform sharing themselves into even more profits. The most blatant being the Escalade.. which I still have to convince some dullards is the same as the Tahoe/Subur/Yukon/YukonXL. The XTS and XT5/SRX are the others, and all are nice sellers. There is zero reason why their type of contribution should be cut loose as long as the core  is RWD based models

[Suaviloquent]

 

Well, Casa!

 

Good $h! sherlock, I don't care whether they add sales numbers or not, you always do that with GMC and Buick, yet how will that justify the Lacrosse being down 35%?

 

 

Sorry Babygirl.. but neither Buick or GMC.. two mainstream brands need my help in combining sales. I will say that they are a sister brands sold under the same roof and for all intent.. and logistical purposes the upper-mirror of any Chevy dealership, no different if GMC just took over all of Buick's car models and called them GMC (GMC Lacrosse for instance) or Vice-Versa (Buick Sierra). Either way.. Buick is a global 1 Mil+ seller.. and GMC is a stateside 500K + seller. They are quite well. 

 

Mercedes combining sales of the E and CLS is the equivalent of the ATS and CTS being combined then.. as they are the same in almost every way except length

 

 

Talk is cheap. You can be as floaty boaty as you want, but you can't force words out of your keyboard, now can you?

[smk4565]

 

If Cadillac doesn't have sales volume, how do they justify making things like the Omega platform or Alfa platform or new engines, etc.  It costs money to do all that, that is why Lincoln is a Ford badge job, because Lincoln doesn't have the volume to generate enough profit for Ford to give them their own platforms or engines.   Cadillac's global sales are small, they rely on the USA, so if they can't grow here, they better find sales outside the USA.

 

 

Because unlike Benz.. or BMW.. Cadillac is a part of a whole. It has sister brands that allow for its existence in teh same way that Audi exists within VW. If U don't think Cadillac brings massive profit to GM then U are a fool. They and U can paint the pic the way U want.. but in truth Cadillac has models that are platform sharing themselves into even more profits. The most blatant being the Escalade.. which I still have to convince some dullards is the same as the Tahoe/Subur/Yukon/YukonXL. The XTS and XT5/SRX are the others, and all are nice sellers. There is zero reason why their type of contribution should be cut loose as long as the core  is RWD based models

 

For sure Cadillac is making profit, but if the profits were so huge at Cadillac why aren't they making more Cadillac models?  If the Cadillac division was making more profit than the Chevrolet division, wouldn't we be seeing like 2-3 new Cadillacs every year?  Wouldn't there be 5 Cadillac crossovers, sports cars, hyper cars, the whole 9 yards.

 

To use the Audi example, they are selling around 1.8 million cars a year, they easily make more dollars in profit than VW does selling 6 million cars.

[balthazar]

For sure Cadillac is making profit, but if the profits were so huge at Cadillac why aren't they making more Cadillac models?  If the Cadillac division was making more profit than the Chevrolet division, wouldn't we be seeing like 2-3 new Cadillacs every year?  Wouldn't there be 5 Cadillac crossovers, sports cars, hyper cars, the whole 9 yards.

No no no!, Cadillac is NOT looking to go full-bore, full-line mainstream! I've told you this countless times; that's not where they're heading. Get it out of your head already. '5 crossovers'?? Holy hell; no. 

Edited August 8, 2016 by balthazar

[Suaviloquent]

Most GM news says that Cadillac will be bringing to market 11 new vehicles in the next 5 years.

 

That's a A LOT.

 

Yes, they are headed to the mediocrity of being mainstream, because being mainstream means that the cheques get cashed in. It's the only way.

 

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2016/04/cadillac-president-johan-de-nysschen-11-new-vehicles-coming-over-next-five-years/

[balthazar]

"11" does not mean all 11 are all in new segments…...

[Suaviloquent]

There's only two Mercedes vehicles that are in "all-new" segments. The crossover coupe craze. But they are doing what practically every automaker, especially luxury autos do or aspire to do. They trade practicality for higher margins and branding.

 

Compact premium cars have been done before, wayy long ago. 

 

It doesn't matter. Cadillac wants premium sales, and of course they'd like to increase transaction prices. While their products may have differentiating factors, like lightweight, which Jaguar also does, and Audi also does. And if they want the absolute best performance at the limit, they can do that. But there's no shortage of people buying AMG badged vehicles or M badged. 

 

And they head honcho is from the enemy camp too. We can't forget that. And the announcement of $11 billion dollars of product development came a while AFTER he became the president and had the New York office.