Bucking the trend in economic gloom Mercedes-Benz have posted record July sales in the UK.
Mercedes-Benz UK continued their sales gains during the first six months of the year with a record breaking July. Sales at the automaker rose by 11.3% for the month of July, with a total of 6,568 vehicles registered, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A total of 47,245 vehicles were registered for Mercedes-Benz in the first six months of the year, which is an increase of 14% on 2011. Even with the overall automotive market performing well with all car sales rising by 9.3% in July, Mercedes-Benz has outperformed the market as a whole.
Mercedes have achieved strong sales of cars across their range, but particularly from the C-Class Coupé, CLS four-door coupé and S-Class luxury saloon. These three cars have all achieved sales which put them at the top of their competitive sets with 324, 1,700 and 1,084 sales respectively. High performance models like the AMG have also sold well with registrations rising by 150% year to date. So far this year 618 C 63 AMGs and 120 SLK 55 AMGs have been registered.
In response to these strong sales figures Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “In a sophisticated and demanding market, these record-breaking numbers illustrate that with great products, attractive offers, and a committed team of hard-working people, exceptional results are achievable. Even more than this, though, our results are thanks to our new and returning customers. We’ve 27.8 per cent more private new car buyers than this time last year, and an 18.7 per cent increase in fleet business.”
The new A Class Mercedes was recently unveiled and this is likely to inject a further sales boost to the already successful Mercedes range.
However, whilst these sales figures may have increased for the past 6 months Mercedes should not get complacent, as the SMMT has said that high car sales will not continue for the rest of the year. The SMMT state that “International economic stability remains a concern for vehicle manufacturers and the UK market” which may be a reason for the predicted slowdown. Even when factoring in the slowdown at the end of this year, the SMMT is predicting total car sales of 1.97m this year, which is slightly higher than the 1.94m bought last year.
Besides Mercedes, Ford has had a successful July, with the best selling car being the Ford Fiesta, selling 7,533. The Ford Fiesta also has the distinction of being the best selling car so far this year.
