OREANDA-NEWS. Mercedes-Benz handed over 151,135 vehicles to customers in May, 12.8% more than in the same month of the previous year. The brand with the star also recorded a double-digit sales increase since the beginning of the year with deliveries rising by 13.6% to 728,809 vehicles.

"With the GLC, which celebrates its world premiere in Germany this month, we plan to build on our success story,” says Ola K?llenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales. “Its predecessor, the GLK, is currently our top-selling SUV,” continues K?llenius.

In Europe, Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles in the first five months of the year than ever before in this period. A total of 316,324 customers were pleased to receive their new vehicle with the star (+10.5%). The previous year’s result has also been surpassed in May with 65,056 units sold. The brand achieved record sales in the UK (+11.6%), Sweden (+15.7%), and Portugal (+30.9%). With 22,252 units, sales in Germany were slightly higher in May than in the same month last year, making Mercedes-Benz the leading premium manufacturer in its home market. The brand also secured the market leadership in Italy and Portugal last month.

Sales in the NAFTA region rose by 13.8% in May, achieving a new record. A total of 34,488 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were handed over to customers. Thereof, 29,583 units went to customers in the USA (+11.1%). Together with the USA, Canada also achieved an all-time high with a sales increase of 32.8%. Mercedes-Benz is market leader in the premium segment in Canada in May.

Last month, the biggest increase was posted in the Asia-Pacific region, where sales rose by 23.4% to a record value of 46,260 vehicles. In China, sales increased by 19.8% to 27,562 units. In Japan, where Mercedes-Benz is the leading premium manufacturer, the brand sold 40.6% more vehicles in May than in the same month of the previous year. In Australia, Mercedes-Benz achieved a sales record with 2,385 units sold in May. Furthermore, the brand with the star recorded particularly strong growth in South Korea (+44.8%).

The demand for Mercedes-Benz compact cars continues to develop very positively, with deliveries rising to 46,363 units in May (+22.3%). Mercedes-Benz has never before sold so many compact cars in May. Both, the CLA and GLA posted sales records.

Global sales of the C-Class Saloon and Estate increased by 59.5% to 33,016 units in May. In the first five months of the year, Mercedes-Benz posted a new record with 174,875 vehicles sold (+57.3%). The brand with the star has delivered a total of more than eight million C-Class Saloons and Estates to customers since the model series was introduced in 1982.

Per May, the demand for E-Class Saloons and Estates was particularly high in China. Never before have so many E-Class Saloons and Estates been sold in the biggest sales market of these two models in the first five months of the year.

The S-Class Saloon is still the world’s best-selling luxury saloon in May, with sales rising to the record amount of 8,550 units. The biggest sales market of the model series is China followed by the USA.

The SUV segment posted a sales record in May with 41,210 units (+18.7%). The successor of the GLK, the GLC, will celebrate its world premiere in Germany in June. The demand for the GLK continues to be extremely high. Since the beginning of the year, more GLK have been sold in Germany and China than ever before in the corresponding period.

In May, 11,142 customers worldwide opted for a smart fortwo or a smart forfour. As a result, 45.5% more smarts were sold in this month than in the same period last year. Sales of the city runabout even increased by over 50% in its biggest markets, Germany and Italy.