The logo of Mercedes Benz
Mercedes is also struggling economically with the unstable political world situation.
(Photo: dpa)
Due to the ongoing shortage of chips, Mercedes-Benz sold fewer cars in the first quarter than in the same period last year. From January to March, the brand delivered a total of 501,600 cars – a drop of 15 percent, as the company announced on Thursday. The market conditions are challenging because of the bottlenecks in semiconductors. By contrast, sales of the top-of-the-range Maybach and S-Class models as well as Mercedes electric cars rose sharply.
“Despite geopolitical uncertainties and a volatile semiconductor market, global demand for Mercedes-Benz vehicles remains strong,” said the carmaker. However, the situation remains uncertain due to the unstable political situation and ongoing restrictions caused by the corona pandemic.
The van division of Mercedes-Benz, which includes models such as the Vito and Sprinter, kept the sales figure in the first quarter at 89,900 units at the previous year’s level – “despite ongoing fluctuations in the area of ​​semiconductor supply”. Of these, around 2,700 were battery-electric vehicles, more than twice as many as a year ago.