Mercedes-Benz Group reported a 3% decrease in sales in the third quarter, selling 594,600 cars and vans. Despite facing a challenging environment, sales of Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars saw a rise quarter-on-quarter due to improved product availability. However, softer demand, particularly in Asia, affected overall sales. Mercedes-Benz Vans also experienced a softening environment, especially in core markets like Germany, the US, and China.
The market environment for battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales remained subdued, with a 31% decrease in sales compared to the previous year. Competitive pricing in key markets impacted BEV sales, while sales of plug-in hybrids increased by 10% globally, driven mainly by the US market.
Sales of top-end vehicles, especially in China, were impacted, resulting in a decrease to 61,800 units, affecting sales of the S-Class family vehicles. On a positive note, sales of Mercedes-AMG performance cars saw an 8% increase compared to the third quarter of the previous year, thanks to improved product availability.
In the core segment, sales increased by 4% quarter-on-quarter to 301,000 vehicles, driven by improved availability of GLC models and the market introductions of CLE models. Sales in North America saw a significant increase of 29%, driven by good sales momentum in the US market after the full availability of GLC models and further market launches of Mercedes-AMG models.
Sales in Europe remained stable at 158,300 vehicles, with positive sales momentum in the UK where sales rose by 17% compared to the previous year. Sales in Asia remained subdued, particularly in the top-end segment, with 226,300 units sold in the third quarter.
Despite a softened macroeconomic environment, particularly in China, which impacted overall sales, Mercedes-Benz saw a 21% increase in sales in India. The launch of the new E-Class in October contributed to the overall sales growth.
Overall, Mercedes-Benz continues to navigate through a challenging sales environment, with a focus on product availability, market launches, and improving sales momentum in key regions like North America and Europe.
