Another Stellar Month for Benz in Canada
Chris March 4, 2008
Mercedes has completed another record month in the frozen Great White North. 2008 looks like being a fabulous year for the three-pointed star north of the 49th parallel.
Here is the official press release:
Mercedes-Benz reports best February ever
Combined Mercedes-Benz and smart sales up by 28.9%
TORONTO, ON (March 3, 2008) – Mercedes-Benz Canada reported today that a record-breaking total of 1,390 units were registered for the month of February. On the Mercedes-Benz side, a monthly record of 1,196 units were delivered, representing a gain of 212 units or a 21.5% increase compared to February 2007 while we saw a year-to-date growth of 23%. A total of 194 smart fortwos were reported sold in February, up by 106.4%. The combined Mercedes-Benz and smart sales showed an increase of 312 units or gains of 28.9% for the month and 33.5% on a year-to-date basis.
Very strong B-Class, C-Class, M-Class and GL-Class model sales contributed to this February’s success. The next generation All-New 2008 C-Class accounted for 460 units, up by 51.3%. The S-Class and the M-Class retail deliveries were up respectively by 24.6% and 51.3% in February. The company’s diesel sales ratio was 57.6% for the month while the permanent all-wheel drive 4MATICâ„¢ units accounted for 66% of the overall passenger car and light truck sales (excluding smart).
Total Mercedes-Benz passenger car sales were ahead by a 20.5% for the month and ahead by 364 units or 26.8% on a year-to-date basis.
On the luxury light truck side, the M-Class, R-Class and GL-Class continued to perform very well in February with 316 sales and a gain of 24.4% compared to February 2007 results; the light trucks have shown a growth of 12.4% so far for the year.
The company also reported a best ever February with 523 pre-owned Mercedes-Benz units for the month, an important gain of 152 units or an increase of 41 % compared to the first two months of 2007. These results corroborated consumer confidence in the company’s competitive pre-owned programs.
Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada said, “It is encouraging to see that our 2007 growth is already being trumped by some stunning sales numbers in early 2008. The B-Class starting at $29,900 and the All-New C-Class starting at $35,800 accounted for almost 650 units this month. The impressive standard features of these two models coupled with their aggressive pricing have certainly contributed to driving new well-informed consumers into our dealerships as they seek a combination of quality, performance and outstanding value. We continued to see strong results in E-Class, S-Class and SUVs in February. The smart fortwo sales more than doubled this February. All in all, I am pleased with this early report card and yet another month of several all-time records.”
