Mercedes Targets Record Sales in Russia in 2011

After posting an incredible increase in sales in Russia in the months that have passed in 2011, German automaker Mercedes announced on Monday that it plans to make the year a memorable one in its history, targeting to at least shutter the sales record it set for the entire 2010, 19,724 units.

That shouldn't be hard to do, considering that the Germans have already reached nearly half of that. In the first four months of the year, Mercedes sold 7,764 passenger cars, a number that was reached thanks to a huge leap in sales in the January and April period: 77.2 percent up.

Russians seems to have developed quite a passion for the E-Klasse sedan, which has become the automaker's best-selling model in the country (75.0 percent up to 1,827 units since January, making it the market leader in its segment). Other models that sell well in the Mercedes lineup are the C-Klasse and the new SLK.

“Along with China, Russia is one of our most important growth markets and will remain so for the next years. We’re very satisfied with our development there. Since the beginning of the year, we have been the premium brand with the highest sales volumes and we are growing faster than our core competitors. We want to maintain this position for the full year as well,” said Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes vice president of sales and marketing.

“In 2011, we aim to surpass last year’s sales record and to grow faster than the total market. We are creating the conditions for this also by further expanding our dealership network.”