Mercedes China March sales up 57% to 8,500 units

Shanghai, April 7 (Gasgoo.com) In March, Daimler AG's luxury car division Mercedes-Benz continued its growth in China, boosting its sales by 57% from a year earlier to 8,500 units, the company said on its website yesterday.

In the first quarter, sales of Mercedes-Benz cars in China's mainland and Hong Kong totaled a record 24,100 units. This year-on-year increase of 105% was the highest recorded by any premium car manufacturer in China.

Globally, Mercedes-Benz increased sales by 9% in March to 109,300 vehicles. In the first three months, the Mercedes-Benz division and the core brand sold 271,200 and 248,500 cars, up 11% and 15%, respectively.

The increase will come primarily through growth in key markets such as the U.S. and China, as well as from new E- and S-Class products.
 
At the 2010 New York Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new-generation R-Class, which will be launched in the U.S. in August, in Western Europe in September, and in China, its biggest market, in October.

Mercedes-Benz, which competes with BMW, Audi among others globally, said its record sales of 68,500 cars in China last year beat its previous target of 65,000 units.