Benz aims to drive sales

MERCEDES-BENZ (China) Ltd expects sales of its imported sports cars in China to grow at least 30 percent this year as it eyes this segment of the market due to growing demand.
   
Sales of the luxury car maker's imported models increased 34 percent for the first five months in China, outpacing the 23 percent growth for the luxury car market as a whole.
   
Its top S-Class models were responsible for driving up the sales with a 44 percent surge.
   
However, the German car maker is now eying aggressively sports car buyers to tap the growing demand to diversify its brand and boost sales.
   
"Customers in China are looking for more individualism, passion and emotional valve linked with driving a car, especially a luxury sports car," said Klaus Maier, president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd.
   
Stuttgart-based Mercedes-Benz now imports four sports models - the CLS coupe, SLK and SL sports cars, and CLK cabriolet - to China.
   
It also import four complete lines of sport utility vehicles in China in the second half of this year.
   
It started selling four of its AMG models at the end of March. The high performance cars costing from 1.48 million yuan (US$172,000) to 2.98 million yuan received 40 orders within just one month.
   
Two more AMG models are expected to hit the Chinese market next year to further reinforce the car maker's sportiness among Chinese customers.