The carmaker Mercedes Benz sold more cars at the start of the year and benefited above all from strong demand for expensive luxury models and electric cars. Overall, the Dax Group sold around 503,500 cars in the first three months of the year, 3 percent more than in the same period last year Mercedes Benz on Wednesday with Sales of all-electric cars rose by 89 percent to 51,600 vehicles, accounting for a tenth of total sales.
The day before already had the rival bmw from a sales boom electric cars reports: The Munich company sold 83 percent more electric vehicles in the first quarter of the year. Global sales, on the other hand, fell slightly by 1.5 percent to around 588,000 vehicles, which puts BMW clearly ahead of Mercedes. The core BMW brand sold around 518,000 cars.
Mid-class at Mercedes declining Luxury segment grows by 18 percent
While there was a noticeable drop in sales of eleven percent for mid-range cars – the largest segment of Mercedes – the particularly expensive cars around the S and G class and the sub-brands Maybach and AMG increased significantly. In the high-yield so-called top-end area, Mercedes sold almost 92,000 cars, 18 percent more. Sales also picked up in the entry-level segment.
In the main market China With 191,000 cars, Mercedes sold around 3 percent more cars than a year earlier. In the home market of Germany (plus 21 percent) and Europe (plus 8 percent), sales increased more strongly USA Mercedes remained at the previous year’s level. The suspension of business in Russia caused a decline in the rest of the world. In the van division, Mercedes sold 98,900 vans, 12 percent more. Conversely, BMW was able to grow strongly in the USA, while sales in Europe and China fell back.
“Our customers’ demand for top-end and battery-electric vehicles is the driving force behind our sales results in the first quarter,” said Head of Sales Britta Seeger (54). BMW sales manager Pieter Nota (58) explained that BMW managed to “maintain a dynamic pace in the ramp-up of electromobility” in the first quarter. BMW is planning further significant growth for the coming years: in 2024 every fifth new car in the group should be fully electric, in 2025 every fourth and in 2026 every third.