Mercedes Sales In September Surged To Nearly 14,000 Units#
2010 has been Mercedes-Benz's best year ever in China, with sales of more than 100,000 in the first nine months of the year
Though its red-hot auto market is showing signs of cooling, 2010 has been a very good year for German carmakers in China. In the last few months alone, BMW has launched localized models like the limited-edition M3 Tiger and elongated 5-Series, China has become the #1 market for Porsche's Cayenne SUV, the Volkswagen Group China set a new yearly sales record in the first nine months of the year, and Audi sales in China remain on target to surpass those in Germany for the first time. Not to be outdone by its rival countrymen, Mercedes-Benz has made a stronger inland push in second- and third-tier Chinese cities, introduced elongated E-Class models, and shaken up its China management structure to better localize sales and marketing strategies.
What this -- and impressive buying power among China's wealthy -- has translated to this year for Mercedes-Benz is strong sales. Today, sources report Mercedes has already achieved its annual sales target in China, selling over 103,000 units this year and 13,940 units in September alone, a rise of 114% over September 2009.
According to Mercedes-Benz's website, the company looked to sell 100,000 units in China this year, which would mark a 129% rise over 2009 sales, which were themselves 77% higher than 2008. With total sales of 103,350 cars in the Chinese mainland through September, the company achieved its goals three months early. According to China Knowledge, growth this year was powered in no small part by the staggering popularity of the company's S-Class sedans, sales of which surged 75% year-over-year to more than 16,000 in the first nine months of the year. Nearly 2,500 of these were sold last month, helping China comfortably maintain its status as the largest market worldwide for the Mercedes S-Class.
This year, Mercedes-Benz has sold 189,000 units in Germany and 159,729 in the United States. The company has said it expects to increase sales in China to 300,000 per year by 2015, which could make the country Mercedes-Benz's largest single market.