Record start to year for Mercedes-Benz

Sales for January rose 32% to 1,610 while deliveries in February were 1,569, up 12% on the same period last year.

The excellent figures come on the back of a record 2007 when deliveries of Mercedes-Benz vehicles rose seven% to 16,816.
The UAE continues to be the largest market for Mercedes-Benz vehicles with Saudi Arabia running second.

"We are seeing great opportunity across the Middle East and Levant with the market for luxury vehicles growing," said Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East and Levant. "Obviously, the buying public are realising that we have the range of premium sedans and SUVs that meets their requirements and this year with nine new models, including new versions of the SLK, SL, CLS and M-Class, arriving in the market culminating in the introduction of the GLK compact SUV, we are certain to end 2008 way ahead of the competition".

To help Mercedes-Benz keep at the forefront of the premium vehicle market, Bernthaler revealed that distributors across the region were investing $150m in new premises including state-of-the-art showrooms and workshops in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait and Jordan.

"This commitment to the brand will help us maintain our market leadership and provide our ever growing family of customers with service that no other manufacturer can match," he added.

Unit sales at Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz Cars division totaled 96,600 vehicles in February 2008, an increase of 18% from the figure recorded for the same month last year (82,000 units) setting a new benchmark.

In addition, deliveries of Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles over the first two months of the year rose 17% to the record level of 187,000 units (Jan./Feb. 2007: 159,700).

The Mercedes-Benz brand also set a record in February by posting a sales increase of 13% to 87,800 units worldwide (February 2007: 78,000).