Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported sales of 18,586 new vehicles for July, bringing the company’s year- to-date total to 136,826 units, a 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year and marking the best year-to-date sales volume in its history.

With significant boosts in sales for both the S-Class and CL-Class (12.9 percent and 561.5 percent increases respectively), highlights for July sales include a 12 percent increase in sales of Mercedes-Benz high-end vehicles (S-, SL-, and CL-Classes) as a group. SUVs also showed growth, with the company’s highly acclaimed M-Class model line’s 23 percent increase (3,015 vs. 2,446 units) for the month.

Compared to the first seven months of 2006, the same period this year marked increases from the volume-leading C-Class with its 13.4 percent gain (31,619 vs. 27,881 units) to the exclusive CL-Class luxury coupe’s 436.2 percent increase (2,043 vs. 381 units). As a group, Mercedes-Benz’s light truck offerings posted a year-to-date increase of 12.4 percent (39,804 vs. 35,413 SUVs), including a seven percent jump for the M-Class and 87.7 percent growth for the seven-passenger full-sized GL-Class.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned program, MBUSA marked a 1.1 percent increase for July sales with 4,417 vehicles sold, bringing year-to-date sales to a total of 30,475 units, an increase of 11.8 percent over the same period in 2006.

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. In 2006, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 248,080 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 13 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at