Mercedes Sales Still Down in August

The third German manufacturer to post its sales for August follows the trend of both BMW and Audi and reports a 13 percent decrease in volume, when compared to August 2008. Mercedes sold a total of 73,200 vehicles, compared to 84,400 last year. The Germans blame most of the drop on the summer break at German locations.

“We expect sales to be on a higher level in the coming months, in part because of the new E-Class station wagon, which we will present this month at the IAA in order to build on the successful launch of the sedan,” Klaus Maier, Mercedes Benz sales and marketing vice president said in a release.

“We also expect sales to receive a further boost from the new generation of the S-Class, which has met with a great customer response. In August we also introduced the vehicle in China, which is meanwhile the world’s biggest market for the S-Class.”

The group sold 66,200 Mercedes Benz passenger vehicles in August, while the smart brand sold 7,000 units. The region with the biggest taste for Mercedes cars in August was, once again, Asia-Pacific, with China reporting a -hold on- 51.9 percent increase in sales.

At the opposite end, Western Europe in general and especially Germany have proven to be not so Mercedes-friendly. Daimler's home country reported a 34.1 percent decrease in sales but, as we said, Mercedes blames it on the summer brake. The US on the other hand, although still in the negative (10.5 percent down), shows signs of improvement, compared to previous months.