Gasgoo Munich-Mercedes-Benz global passenger-car sales fell 8% to 407,200 units in the third quarter, dragged down by a sluggish performance in China.
Image source: Mercedes-Benz
Factor in light commercial vehicles, and Mercedes-Benz Group's global sales slipped 6% to 491,700 units for the quarter. Outside China, group sales edged up 2%, with passenger-car deliveries gaining 1%. Over the first nine months, global passenger-car sales totaled 1.244 million units — a 7% decline from a year earlier.
US Passenger-Car Sales Climb 6%
US passenger-car deliveries climbed 6% to 75,300 units in the third quarter. Over the first nine months, US sales gained 12%, while North American passenger-car volume advanced 4% to 83,200 units.
Fresh arrivals at US dealerships in September included the new GLE, GLE Coupé, and GLS. The electric CLA, meanwhile, expanded into the US and Japanese markets. In Europe, passenger-car sales rose 5% to 168,700 units, fueled by 13% growth in Germany and a 7% uptick in the UK. Battery-electric vehicles now account for nearly a third of the brand's European passenger-car sales.
China Sales Tumble 31% as Premium Models Feel the Squeeze
A tough market environment and intensifying competition pushed Mercedes-Benz's China passenger-car sales down 31% to 86,800 units. The GLC and E-Class held relatively steady, however, and the electric GLC L is gradually gaining traction. The China slump dragged the brand's broader Asian passenger-car volume down 25% to 132,300 units.
Premium-model sales in China dropped 21% to 53,900 units, hit by soft demand and model changeovers. The premium segment now makes up 13.2% of the automaker's global passenger-car mix. As the new S-Class rolls out, its sales outside China more than doubled from the second quarter. Core-model sales worldwide slipped 6% to 234,200 units, while entry-level volume contracted 4% to 119,200 units.
EV Sales Hit Quarterly Record
The electric GLC propelled Mercedes-Benz's EV sales to an all-time quarterly high, according to Mathias Geisen, the board member responsible for sales and customer experience. Third-quarter battery-electric passenger-car deliveries reached 68,400 units — a 61% annual jump and a 29% gain from the prior quarter. Electric GLC volume more than tripled compared with the second quarter, while electric CLA sales climbed 24% sequentially.
Electric models accounted for a record 16.8% of global passenger-car sales in the third quarter, up 7.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Add in plug-in hybrids, and electrified vehicles made up a quarter of the brand's passenger-car deliveries. Across passenger cars and vans, group-level EV sales surged 52% to 78,100 units.
Mercedes-Benz van sales edged up 1% to 84,400 units. Electric van deliveries gained 12% to 9,600 units, while large commercial van volume rose 15%.
European allocation for the electric GLC, CLA, GLB, and GLA through the rest of 2026 is already sold out, Geisen noted, with orders now stretching into 2027. To keep pace with demand, plants in Bremen, Rastatt, and Kecskemét have moved to three-shift production.
