Asia, US helps Mercedes Benz sales hit record high in 2006
Stuttgart (dpa) - Global sales of luxury German car maker Mercedes Benz jumped to a record high in 2006, the group announced Friday.
The Mercedes Car Group, the flagship of the transatlantic auto giant DaimlerChrysler AG, said sales of premium Mercedes Benz brand jumped by 6.5 per cent to 1.15 million.
In particular, this was underpinned by strong demand in Asia, Japan and the key US market. Mercedes Benz's US sales surged by 11 per cent to 248,000 in 2006, the company said.
The jump in sales also followed moves by Mercedes to revamp its model range, including updating its M-Class and S-Class saloons and the market success of its M-, R-, GL- and G-Class models.
"In 2006, Mercedes-Benz celebrated the most successful year in its history," the company said releasing the figures.
The strong performance by the Mercedes Benz brand helped to offset an almost 21.6 per cent slump in sales to 112,000 for the Mercedes Car Group's cartoon-style smart car last year.
Mercedes hopes to arrest the fall in smart sales by the launch of a new model in April.
In total, Mercedes Car Group reported a 3.2 per cent increase in sales to 1.26 million.
At the same time, sales of the super-luxury Maybach saloon, which is also part of the Mercedes Car Group stable of cars, came in at about 400 last year, the company said. // © 2006 DPA
- Asia, US helps Mercedes Benz sales hit record high in 2006
- Cricova: The Largest Underground Wine Cellar in the World
- Dutch bear profit rises 26 percent
- Foreign direct investment in India doubles during 2006
- What does Remortgage mean?
- Toyota in talks to build new China plant
- Sarah Larson's dirty past
- Oil extends to $68
- DaimlerChrysler is not planning to manufacture trucks in India