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July 10, 2003
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This Week:

• The New BMW 6 Series Coupe

• Continued growth for Porsche in North America

• Land Rover Launches Comprehensive Marketing Campaign

• Toyota Will Hold Line On Pricing Of Second-Generation Prius, Offer Early-Buyer Program For "Prius Pioneers"

• Ford F-150 Continues Tradition Of Value Throughout 2004 Lineup Of America's Best-Seller

• Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars Consolidates Leading Position in Premium Segment during First Half of 2003

• New Beetle Cabriolet with best safety results in ADAC roll-over test

• BMW Group Successful In The First Half of 2003

• First-half 2003: Renault consolidates position as Europe's leading brand on the strength of new models and targets increased market share

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Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars Consolidates Leading Position in Premium Segment during First Half of 2003
 

After two quarters, worldwide sales remain near last year's level Market share expands in the U.S., Japan and Western Europe Record sales achieved for the E- and S-Class Stuttgart - Mercedes-Benz, the world's leading premium passenger-car brand, successfully bucked the negative market trend during the first half of 2003. After the first six months of the year, worldwide sales totaled about 548,500 passenger cars (559,000 for the same period in 2002). That performance puts the company on nearly the same high level as last year. Through June, 60,600 customers bought smart models (first six months of 2002: 62,400). smart thus performed significantly better than its competitors in the segment and gained market share. Sales of the Mercedes Car Group totaled 609,100 passenger cars in the first two quarters (621,400 in the same period last year). During June, Mercedes-Benz and smart delivered a total of 99,600 cars to their customers.

Prof. Jürgen Hubbert, Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, responsible for the Mercedes Car Group, said: "We are satisfied with the performance of the Mercedes Car Group in the first half of 2003. After all, it was a period in which the Group was confronted by tough economic conditions and contracting automobile markets around the world. We succeeded in keeping unit sales near last year's levels and in expanding our market share in the United States, Western Europe and Asia."

Best half-year sales ever in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz recorded its best half-year sales performance of all time in the U.S., where it sold 105,900 vehicles through June 2003 (first half of 2002: 102,900), beating the previous year's total by three percent. The C-Class (33,600 cars, up two percent), the E-Class (26,000 cars, up 57 percent) and the S-Class (10,900 cars, up nine percent) achieved record results during the first six months of the year.

In Western Europe, Mercedes-Benz also outperformed the market as a whole. It even broke sales records in the volume markets of the UK (43,900 cars, up eight percent) and Spain (16,000 cars, up one percent). In Italy, Mercedes-Benz achieved a stable sales level with a total of 43,300 cars sold. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 172,900 passenger cars during the first six months of the year.

In the Asia-Pacific region, DaimlerChrysler sold 44,700 Mercedes-Benz vehicles during the first half of 2003, 18 percent more than in the same period last year. In Japan, the biggest market in Asia, Mercedes-Benz increased sales by eight percent to 19,800 cars despite difficult market conditions. In Southeast Asia, sales rose 32 percent to 11,900 cars. The increase was fueled largely by strong gains in Taiwan (2,500 cars, up 40 percent), Malaysia (1,700 cars, up 41 percent) and Singapore (1,600 cars, up 44 percent).

The new E-Class station wagon was a big seller: Through June, 13,400 vehicles were delivered to customers in Western Europe. The E-Class sedan built on its global market leadership in the upper-range segment. In the first two quarters of 2003, the company sold 130,000 of the sedans. The No. 1 in the luxury segment is also continuing its record run: Around the world, 34,400 customers bought an S-Class sedan. Demand for the SL-Class climbed four percent to 17,000 roadsters.

(July 07, 2003 )