Mercedes-Benz Sept sales up 60% y/y in China

Shanghai, October 15 (Gasgoo.com) The September sales of Mercedes-Benz grew 60% year on year to 4,400 units in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, said xinhuanet.com today.

The sales increase in September brought the brand's total sales of the first nine months in the China market to 32,400 units, which exceeded this brand's whole-year sales of 2007 in China.
 
In September, the monthly sales of Mercedes-Benz cars topped 4,000 units for the first time in China's mainland market. The S-Class sedan, SUV, R-Class luxury crossover and coupe saw faster sales growth than expected. Sales of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and C-Class locally made in China also gained steady growth and achieved a single-month sales high at 1,7000 units in September.

The Chinese-made all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans have been in short supply over the past few months, and the R-class crossover has found its second largest global market in China after the U.S. The R300 launched in early June has enriched Mercedes-Benz's R-Class lineup in China.

Mercedes-Benz launched at least five new models in China in the first half to meet the growing demands for this brand. In 2007, Mercedes-Benz sold 30,630 vehicles in China, an increase of 50% from the previous year.

Although its sales grew rapidly in China, Mercedes-Benz still lags behind the world's biggest luxury auto-maker BMW, which sold 47,342 cars in mainland China in the Jan-Sept period, up from 36,300 units a year earlier.