Daimler Posts 12 Percent Drop in Sales

As is the case with all manufacturers in the automotive industry, a not so serious decline in sales for May is good enough of a reason for Daimler to look hopeful to the future. The German manufacturer reported a 12.1 percent drop in sales for all its brands (Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach).

The defining Mercedes-Benz brand sold 86,300 passenger vehicles worldwide (down 12 percent), but even so those number are well above those reported for April. Two aspects are to be held accountable for this development: the release of the new E-Klasse and, of course, the growing Asia-Pacific region.

“The new E-Klasse has met with an outstanding customer response. “We expect sales to receive a further boost in the coming months from the introduction of the new E-Klasse to other important markets such as China and the U.S., as well as from the launch of the new E-Klasse coupe and the face lifted S-Klasse,” Klaus Maier, Mercedes Benz sales and marketing vice president said.

Talking about China, the country has been a God sent gift for Daimler as well. The manufacturer posted  a whopping 67.5 percent increase in sales (still, that only means 5,500 units). The Asia pacific region as a whole registered a 7.8 percent increase in sales.

The steepest decline for the German manufacturer was registered in Japan, where its vehicles sales dropped by 31.8 percent, to 1,700 units.

For the first five months of the year, Mercedes Benz reported a 22.3 percent drop, compared to the same period of 2008. This translates into a total of 383,000 units sold, not counting smart sales.