Mercedes sales forecast to grow 'at least' 7% in 2010

Daimler AG, the world's second- biggest luxury carmaker, forecast Mercedes-Benz sales will advance at twice the rate of the overall market in 2010 on demand from China.

"We want to grow at least 7 percent," sales chief Joachim Schmidt said at a briefing with reporters June 8 at the carmaker's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. "We're well under way to achieve our goal."

Schmidt, who expects the market to grow 3 percent to 4 percent in 2010, said Mercedes-Benz will post "good" second- quarter results, declining to be more specific.

Mercedes-Benz posted a 17 percent jump in May sales to 101,400 vehicles, beating Audi's 15 percent increase and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's 11 percent gain. Mercedes-Benz sales in China, the world-largest car market, more than doubled last month. Schmidt reaffirmed the division's target to boost sales to 1.5 million units by 2015 from 1.09 million in 2009.

"We're optimistic that we'll be able to grow profitably in the premium segment," said Schmidt, who spoke to reporters about the carmaker's new image campaign which begins tomorrow. He declined to specify the costs of the new offensive.