Mercedes Posts 18 Percent Growth in 2010 Sales

Driven by strong E class sales, Mercedes posted an 18 percent growth in annual sales in 2010 with 225,007 vehicles sold in the United States. It also reported its strongest sales month of the year in December with sales of 21,469 vehicles.

The 9th generation E-Class was the volume leader for both the month and year, with December sales of 5,638, bringing its annual volume to 60,922 - a 41.4 percent increase over its volume in 2009. The C-Class - the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers - followed with monthly sales of 4,924 and a yearly total of 58,785, a 12.1 percent increase over last. Rounding out the top three volume lines was the popular M-Class SUV which posted monthly sales of 3,783 bringing its annual volume to 29,698, a 15.1 % increase over last year.

The growth in the C class is especially significant because Mercedes is introducing a redesigned model in February. Sales will typically wane among buyers who want to wait for the newest model to come out.

Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA said in a statement: "Despite the challenges of a slow recovery, we see good indicators in terms of our sales volume throughout the model range. This is certainly due in large part to the customer-directed efforts we've undertaken here at MBUSA over the past few years and the extraordinary commitment of our retail network to provide an unmatched ownership experience. As virtually all third-party indicators show, customers are confident about the Mercedes-Benz brand and we think that will translate to even stronger momentum going forward."

Sales at the high end continued strong for 2010 with the commanding G-Class up 38.8 % for the year and the flagship S-Class sedan up 21.5 %. The company sold 48 of its top-of-the-line supercar - the SLS AMG - in December, bringing its annual total to 499.