Mercedes-Benz closes 2011 with a new sales record

Just like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz has closed 2011 with a new sales record, which suggests that the global automotive market has not felt the ongoing financial crisis.

Following the same trend as VW, the key to Mercedes-Benz’s sales growth has been the Chinese market, which clearly reflects the economic boom the Asian giant is experiencing.

With a total of 1,362,908 vehicles sold, Mercedes-Benz has surpassed its historic sales record set in 2007, which allows it to strengthen its position as a premium vehicle brand both outside and inside Germany. Since the start of the year, the brand’s figures were pointing to a record, with sales rising month after month, and in the last quarter of the year it became the most successful fourth quarter in the brand’s history.

The Chinese market grew by 30% compared with 2010, selling a total of 193,339 vehicles, 23,227 of them in December alone. Alongside China, growth in the Russian market of 47.3% and in the Brazilian market of 35.5% helped Mercedes reach its record sales figure.

Markets such as Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, Denmark and Sweden also saw substantial growth, but the most significant fact of all is that Mercedes grew by 7.1% in Japan, despite the severe earthquake the land of the rising sun suffered in March and its serious consequences.

The figures for Mercedes and Volkswagen make it very clear that the two German giants have managed to weather the global economic crisis remarkably well.

Source | Mercedes