Mercedes 2003 Annual Report Download - page 51
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Please find page 51 of the 2003 Mercedes annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.Highly successful launch of new E-Class station wagon and
new CLK convertible. Both the E-Class sedan and station wagon
proved particularly popular in 2003, as did the CLK coupe and
convertible.
The fact that all of its variants were available in all markets greatly
contributed to the success of the E-Class. Following its launch in
Europe in March 2003 and its introduction in the US in November,
the E-Class station wagon alone sold 42,700 units. A total of
305,300 E-Class vehicles were sold, up 26% compared with 2002,
the year of the model’s launch.
Unit sales of the CLK coupe and convertible increased by 42% to
85,900 vehicles, significantly exceeding expectations. This figure
includes 18,300 for the new CLK convertible, launched in Europe and
Japan in May 2003 and in the US in September. With unit sales of
442,100 vehicles, the C-Class performed extremely well in a market
segment that contracted worldwide. The anticipated drop in
C-Class sales of sedans, station wagons, the sport coupe and the
SLK was the result of lifecycle-related factors. By carrying out
extensive model upgrades we aim to make the C-Class sedan, the
station wagon and the sport coupe even more attractive for our
customers early in the summer of 2004.
The S-Class has to compete with various new models in its
segment and its continued success is therefore particularly
encouraging. Six years after its market launch, the S-Class sedan
posted sales of 67,800 vehicles, slightly higher than the high
level of the previous year. The SL roadster also continued its
success story, with sales rising by another 6% to 33,400 units.
Unit sales of the A-Class, introduced in 1997, fell by 14% to
147,400 vehicles. This decline, in a market segment with a large
number of new products, was mainly due to the present model
approaching the end of its lifecycle. The A-Class has enabled
Mercedes-Benz to successfully establish itself in the small-car
segment with a premium-class vehicle. More than one million
A-Class vehicles have rolled off the assembly line since its launch.
Also related to the model’s lifecycle, unit sales of the M-Class
decreased by 20% to 81,200. Since its introduction in 1997, more
than 500,000 M-Class vehicles have been delivered to customers.
Expanded capacities at Rastatt and Tuscaloosa. A total of
€900 million is being invested in the Rastatt plant to prepare for
an A-Class successor model. We plan to expand the A-Class
into a model family with the new series, thus strengthening the
Mercedes-Benz brand’s presence in this market segment.
We are also investing US $ 600 million to expand the Tuscaloosa
production site. Ten years after the decision to build the Tuscaloosa
production site, the company will double both the number of
employees at the plant to around 4,000 and its annual production
capacity to 160,000 vehicles. The Tuscaloosa plant will produce
the M-Class successor model as well as another model variant and
the new Grand Sports Tourer (GST). By combining features of
existing vehicle types such as the family sedan, the station wagon
and the SUV, the new GST will have a unique character and will
create a new market segment.
Fascinating new models presented at the Frankfurt Motor
Show. In September, we unveiled the Mercedes McLaren SLR super
sports car and the Vision CLS four-door coupe concept vehicle
at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Both enjoyed
an overwhelmingly positive response. As a result, we decided in
November to put the Vision CLS, which combines the features and
dynamism of a coupe with the comfort and functionality of a
sedan, into series production as the CLS-Class.
The first SLR super sports car from the McLaren production facility
in Woking, England, was handed over to the Laureus Sports Award
Foundation. The car was subsequently auctioned and the proceeds
donated to charity. Deliveries will begin in April 2004. To ensure
exclusivity, in total no more than 3,500 SLR super sports cars will
be produced.
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The Mercedes-Benz E-Class station wagon in the harbour at Antibes, France