Mercedes-Benz achieves increased unit sales for ninth consecutive year and remains number one among luxury car brands

2019 was the ninth consecutive record year for Mercedes-Benz, with growth of 1.3% to a total of 2,339,562 units delivered worldwide. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz maintained its leading position among the luxury car brands for the fourth year in a row. In all three of its main markets – China, Germany and the USA – the Stuttgart-based brand with the three-pointed star surpassed the high levels of the previous year. China, Mercedes-Benz’s largest market, remained the main growth driver, with sales of 693,443 units representing an increase of 6.2% and a new record year. Last year’s model offensive with a total of more than ten new or revised models led to a significant boost in unit sales, particularly of Compact Cars and SUVs, and contributed to the overall sales growth.

In full year 2019, Mercedes-Benz maintained its market leadership in the luxury segment in markets including Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and South Africa.

Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG: “The ninth consecutive record year underscores once more the strong demand for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, even amidst far-reaching changes in the mobility landscape. In addition, Mercedes-Benz continues to be clearly the number one in the luxury market – this proves how valuable our brand is. 2019 was a year of great challenges for the automotive industry. The next two years will also be characterized more than ever by the transformation of our industry. In this challenging environment, we intend to further increase our unit sales and set the course for long-term competitiveness. With investments in new technologies and profitable sales growth, we are paving the way for Mercedes-Benz to lead the global luxury market as a pioneer of sustainable luxury also in an era of CO₂-neutral mobility.”

Mercedes-Benz’s five largest markets last year were China, Germany and the USA followed by Great Britain and South Korea. The Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed star finished the year with the highest annual unit sales in its history, as well as its best quarter ever (614,319 units, +3.2%). In the fourth quarter of 2019,Mercedes-Benz sold for the first time more than 600,000 cars within a quarter. In the month of December,205,968 vehicles were sold and therefore the high prior-year level was almost achieved (-0.3%).

Britta Seeger, Member of the Boards of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Marketing and Sales: “In 2019, a particularly large number of customers in China, Germany and the USA decided in favour of a new vehicle from Mercedes-Benz: In each of these three major markets, we surpassed the high level of unit sales we achieved in the previous year. The ninth record year reflects, among other things, the success of our model offensive with Compact Cars and SUVs, which have delighted new and existing customers all over the world. We offer a broad product line-up with innovative technology and emotional design, which means we have the right vehicle for every customer. This year, we want to further rejuvenate our product portfolio with more than ten new or revised models, including a specific focus on electrified models.”

Mercedes-Benz full year unit sales by region and market

Asia-Pacific region achieves best-ever sales; China is most important driver of global sales growth

In the Asia-Pacific sales region, a new record was achieved in 2019 with 977,922 units sold (+3.7%). In fact, more Mercedes-Benz vehicles were delivered in China than in any other market globally. A total of 693,443 cars were handed over to customers in China, an increase of more than 40,000 units compared with the previous year and a new record (+6.2%). Hereby, the strong product offensive, the localization strategy and the customer-centric operation remained key success factors in China; more than three-quarters of the vehicles sold there came directly from local production last year. China has been Mercedes-Benz’s largest sales market since 2015, with total annual unit sales almost doubling between 2015 and 2019. In South Korea, the second-largest market in the Asia-Pacific region, deliveries reached a new record high of 78,048 vehicles in 2019 (+8.7%). Sales also reached a new high in Vietnam.

Sales volume in the Europe region slightly above the high prior-year level; significant sales growth in Germany

In the Europe region, a total of 937,881 cars with the three-pointed star were delivered to customers in 2019 - slightly above the high prior-year level (+0.4%). In Germany, its domestic market, Mercedes-Benz was able to surpass the previous year’s figure by more than 14,000 units due to sales growth of Compact Cars and SUVs, delivering 318,353 vehicles in the full year (+4.8%). This was the highest sales volume in Germany in the past ten years. In addition to Germany, Great Britain and France followed by Italy and Spain, are among the largest sales markets in the Europe region for the Stuttgart-based company with the three-pointed star. In 2019, Mercedes-Benz set new sales records in countries including Switzerland, Poland, Denmark and Hungary.

More than 372,100 cars delivered in the NAFTA region, sales in the USA slightly above prior-year

In the NAFTA region, 372,144 new Mercedes-Benz vehicles were delivered to customers between January and December (-1.64%). Despite a challenging market situation, 316,094 vehicles in the USA were sold and the high prior-year level surpassed by 135 units (+0.0%). In the second half of the year, Mercedes-Benz increased its deliveries in the USA in five out of six months. An increase in unit sales was therefore achieved in the fourth quarter (+1.7%). In Canada, Mercedes-Benz maintains its position as the top luxury car brand for the sixth consecutive year.

Mercedes-Benz full year unit sales by model

Every third Mercedes-Benz vehicle sold in 2019 was an SUV

With sales of about 783,700 units the GLA, GLB, GLC, GLC Coupé, EQC (combined electrical consumption:20.8–19.7 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)^[1], GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS and G-Class, the SUVs were Mercedes-Benz’s strongest-selling segment in 2019 (-4.5%). Since August 2019, deliveries have increased every month, driven by the new GLC and GLE. The GLC was once again the best-selling SUV in the model portfolio in 2019. Last year, the G-Class was able to improve on its record sales of 2017 by more than 13,000 units: 34,912 delivered vehicles resulted in a strong sales increase of more than 60%. The previous sales record set in 2017 was already surpassed in August 2019.

Compact Cars with strong growth and a new record

In 2019, every fourth Mercedes-Benz sold was a Compact Car: More than 667,000 units of the A- and B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, GLA and GLB were delivered last year (+9.5%). This represents an increase of more than 30,000 unit sales when compared to the prior record established in 2016.The new A-Class posted global growth of 12.3% in 2019. The A-Class Saloon and the new B-Class worldwide as well as the new CLA Coupé in Europe made significant contributions to the segment’s growth. With the GLB, which launched in December 2019, the Mercedes-Benz Compact Car family now consists of eight models. With its market launch this year, the new GLA completes the model changes for the current generation of Compact Cars from Mercedes-Benz.

C-Class: More than 392,900 deliveries of the high-volume classic

Approximately 392,900 units of the C-Class Saloon and Estate were delivered in 2019 (-0.9 %). The C-Class Saloon achieved growth particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and a new record (+8.5%). In South Korean, deliveries of theC-Class Saloon grew by a double-digit rate. Sales of the long-wheelbase version of the model in China increased by 9% last year to a new record level. Since its market launch in 1982, then still under the name Mercedes-Benz 190, more than ten million C-Class Saloon and Estate cars have been sold worldwide.

E-Class sets new a sales record in the Asia-Pacific region

More than 351,000 units of the E-Class Saloon and Estate were delivered to customers in the third full year of sales of the new generation (-1.3 %). The importance of China as the most important market for the Mercedes-Benz saloon models is clearly reflected by the E-Class: The long-wheelbase version of the E-Class Saloon set a new sales record with double-digit growth. Every second E-Class Saloon sold worldwide in 2019 was delivered as a long-wheelbase version in China. In South Korea, the E-Class Saloon achieved its highest annual sales so far. And the E-Class Estate recorded an increase of 5.0% in deliveries in Germany.

S-Class: The world’s best-selling luxury saloon

Mercedes-Benz has always aspired to build the best automobile in the world with the S-Class. This high standard of exclusivity combined with confident restraint is very well received by the customers: The S-Class Saloon was the best-selling luxury saloon in the world last year. Six years after the launch of the current generation of the S-Class Saloon, sales of about 71,700 units in 2019 remained at a very high level (-8.0%). Deliveries increased above all in China. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Saloon is very popular. As a model of the Mercedes-Maybach brand, it is an automobile offering exclusive luxury and the utmost comfort. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Saloon set a new sales record in 2019, driven in particular by its success in China and double-digit growth in that market. Since the market launch in 2015, approximately 500 of these exclusive luxury automobiles have been delivered every month to customers in China alone; last year, the figure was actually more than 700 units per month. The portfolio of the Mercedes-Maybach brand will be expanded this year to include the Mercedes-Maybach GLS (combined fuel consumption:12.0-11.7 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 273‑266 g/km)^[1].

Dream Cars: Strong double-digit growth for the CLS Coupé

At Mercedes-Benz, all roadsters, convertibles and coupés are grouped under the heading Dream Cars. More than 163,600 of these vehicles were delivered worldwide in 2019 (-1,1%). The main markets of the roadsters, convertibles and coupés with the three-pointed star were the USA, and Germany, followed by Great Britain in 2019. The best-selling members of the Dream Car family last year were the C-Class Coupé, followed by the CLS Coupé. The CLS Coupé was the growth driver for the Dream Cars in 2019 and achieved strong double-digit sales growth worldwide. Especially in South Korea the sales volume of the four-door Coupé doubled.

Increased sales of V-Class and X-Class in 2019

With an increase of 1.2% to about 63,500 units delivered in 2019, the V-Class achieved a new sales record. The revised version of the multipurpose vehicle had its world premiere in January 2019. Demand for the V-Class was particularly strong last year from customers in Germany, where the largest absolute growth and a new sales record were achieved. Further V-Class records were set in Great Britain, Russia and Switzerland. Sales increased also in China, the most important market for the V-Class outside Europe, almost on the high level of the previous year. Approximately 15,300 units of the X-Class were sold worldwide in 2019. The largest markets for the pickup with the three-pointed star were Germany, Great Britain, Australia and South Africa; double-digit growth and record unit sales were achieved in each of those countries.

Mercedes-AMG: Highest unit sales in the history of the company

More successful than ever before: The high-performance and sports-car brand Mercedes-AMG achieved a new record year in 2019 with more than 132,136 units sold and double-digit growth of 11.8%. The Affalterbach-based company achieved its highest sales figures in history also in Great Britain and Japan. Mercedes-AMG’s largest markets in 2019 were the USA, Germany and Great Britain, followed by China and Japan. The past year at Mercedes-AMG was marked by the continuous expansion and renewal of the product portfolio. Hence, also the successful Mercedes-AMG GT family received a facelift of the two-door variant and the Mercedes-AMG GT4-door Coupé was available in all markets for the first time. With 13 derivatives in the Compact Car segment at various performance levels, Mercedes-AMG expands its range to include attractive entry-level models in the world of driving performance. The “45” models in the Compact Car family are powered by the newly developed 2-litre turbocharged engine, the world's most powerful four-cylinder turbocharged engine manufactured for large-series production. In addition, Mercedes-AMG has also introduced electrified SUV models with integrated EQ Boost technology. The 16 kW (22 hp) strong starter generator feeds the 48-volt on-board power supply, supports the combustion engine with its boost function at low speeds and ensures increased efficiency.

smart delivers about 116,800 vehicles worldwide

Over the past twelve months, 116,781 customers opted for a smart fortwo or smart forfour (-9.3%). Sales of the smart brand in 2019 were influenced by lifecycle factors. At the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, smart presented its completely revised fortwo and forfour models. Progressive design meets intelligent connectivity as well as zero local emissions due to battery electric powertrains. In the conversion year to the purely electric smart models, the highest unit sales of the past 14 years were achieved in Germany. From January to December, more than 46,506 of the urban microcars were delivered in Germany (+13.2%). In both France and Italy, growth was achieved compared with the previous year. And full-year deliveries climbed to a new record in Portugal (+25.0%). Never before in a year have so many of the electric smart models been sold worldwide as in 2019 – more than 18,400 units were delivered last year. In Germany, approximately every sixth smart vehicle sold was purely electric. At the end of March 2019, Daimler AG and the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group announced the establishment of a globally oriented 50:50 joint venture to transform smart into a leading player in premium-and intelligent electrified vehicles. The joint venture will produce a completely new generation of smart electric models in China and will be responsible for the international distribution.

Model offensive for plug-in hybrids and all-electric models

With its “Ambition 2039” announced last year, Mercedes-Benz Cars has set itself the goal of achieving a CO₂-neutral fleet of new passenger cars within a period of 20 years. For Europe, the company assumes that well over 40 percent of Mercedes-Benz vehicles could already be delivered to customers as xEVs (plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles) by 2025. And by 2030, the company aims to achieve more than half of worldwide car sales with plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz Cars expects all-electric models to account for 15% to 25% of total unit sales by 2025. The first fully electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz, the EQC (combined power consumption: 27.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km, provisional figures)^[1], made its retail debut in Europe first followed by China and Asia-Pacific markets in 2019. As the next member of the Mercedes EQ family, this year, the EQV (combined electrical consumption: 27.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, provisional figures)^[2], will be the first electrically powered luxury multipurpose vehicle from Mercedes-Benz to combine emission-free mobility with convincing performance, high functionality and aesthetic design. Moreover, the facelift of the current purely electric drive smart generation can already be ordered and market launch is planned for the end of January 2020. With this step, smart will complete its full changeover to zero local emissions due to battery electric powertrains as a pioneer of urban mobility.

By the end of 2020, a total of five fully electric models and more than 20 model variants of plug-in hybrid models will be an integral part of the global product portfolio of Mercedes-Benz Cars.