Mercedes-Benz on track for a record year in sales
German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is racing towards another record year, as it posted its strongest ever half-year sales.
The automotive company's sales in the first six months of the year jumped by 12.8 per cent as it sold a total of 783,520 vehicles worldwide.
“The first half of the year was extremely successful for us. With the unit sales of our vehicles, we are on track to make 2014 into yet another record year,” said company representative Ola Källenius.
Mercedes' sales in the UK rose by 17.8 per cent. Today's big car-related data release from the UK showed that the automotive industry is back in great health, with the car sales in the country motoring on to their best half-year total since 2005 with a 10.6 per cent rise on the same six months last year.
Despite a flat performance in its German home market – it did still manage to maintain its position as the most popular premium car brand in the country – the Stuttgart-based manufacturer increased its first half sales in Europe by 7.4 per cent.
The big news however came from China. Today's figures show how the company continues to take advantage of the burgeoning Chinese luxury car market, recording a 37.5 per cent leap in orders in the first six months of 2014 compared to the corresponding period last year.
Increasing its sales and stake in China is key if Mercedes is to take back the title of top global luxury car maker, which BMW took from it in 2005. According to Forbes, the country's luxury car market is expected to expand by an average annual growth rate of 12 per cent until the end of the decade, outstripping the 8 per cent growth rate expected in the industry as a whole.
The impressive growth recorded in China, which took the total sales volume in the country to 135,972, failed it ahead of the US, which has maintained its status as Mercedes' biggest market. The company has delivered 151,624 vehicles in 2014 across the Atlantic and could be in line for further growth as the new C-Class will be launched there in September.
According to the company, the models of Mercedes' E-Class family proved to be real growth drivers in the last six months as the sedan and the estate alone sold 130,464 units, an increase of 27.4 per cent.