Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 153

160 C | THE DIVISIONS | MERCEDES-BENZ CARS
Records for unit sales, revenue and earnings
The Mercedes-Benz Cars division, comprising the Mercedes-
Benz brand with the Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and
Mercedes me sub-brands as well as the smart brand, once
again accelerated its pace of profitable growth in the year under
review. We increased our unit sales for the sixth year in
succession and our sales of 2,001,400 vehicles (+16%) put us
above the two-million mark for the first time in our history.

C.01 We were able to gain market share in nearly all regions.
Revenue increased by 14% to €83.8 billion. We also signifi-
cantly improved our profitability compared with the previous
year, with EBIT rising by 35% to €7.9 billion. In addition, we
reached our target for return on sales in the ongoing business.
Our very positive overall business development throughout
the year was largely due to our new products, in particular the
new C-Class and our attractive SUVs.
Mercedes-Benz once again posts record unit sales
Unit sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand rose to the new record
level of 1,880,100 vehicles in 2015.

C.02 Despite difficult
conditions in several markets, the pace of growth increased
significantly once again compared with the previous year,
as sales grew by 15% (2014: 11%). We are the number one manu-
facturer in the premium segment in Germany as well as in
Canada and Japan. We also significantly improved our position
in China in the year under review.
Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 678,200 vehicles in Western
Europe in 2015, an increase of 11% from the previous year.
Growth was particularly strong in Spain (+24%), the United
Kingdom (+17%) and Italy (+16%). Sales in Germany increased by
4% to 259,200 units. Sales development was also positive
in the NAFTA region, where we set new records in the United
States (+5%), Canada (+23%) and Mexico (+10%). Despite difficult
market conditions, sales rose by 41% in China, where we
significantly outperformed the market as a whole. We recorded
substantial increases in unit sales also in Japan (+13%),
South Korea (+30%), India (+31%), Brazil (+67%) and Turkey (+35%).
Mercedes-Benz Cars
Mercedes-Benz Cars continued to grow profitably in 2015 in a very dynamic manner. Unit sales,
revenue and earnings increased once again, and we also reached our target for return on sales
in the ongoing business. Numerous new models enabled us to significantly increase our market
share in nearly all regions. China is now our biggest market, and unit sales in China rose by 37% in
the year under review. The very good business year we enjoyed in 2015 was rounded out by numerous
awards for our vehicles and an extremely successful motorsport season. We further expanded
our global production network in the year under review, thereby creating the conditions necessary
for future growth.
C.01
Mercedes-Benz Cars
2015 2014 15/14
€ amounts in millions % change
EBIT 7,926 5,853 +35
Revenue 83,809 73,584 +14
Return on sales (in %) 9.5 8.0 .
Investment in property, plant
and equipment
3,629
3,621 +0
Research and
development expenditure
thereof capitalized
4,711
1,612
4,025
1,035
+17
+56
Production 2,059,823 1,754,115 +17
Unit sales 2,001,438 1,722,561 +16
Employees (December 31) 136,941 135,553 +1
Unit sales Mercedes-Benz Cars
2015 2014 15/14
in thousands % change
Mercedes-Benz 1,880 1,630 +15
thereof1: A-/B-Class
(excluding GLA)
425
387 +10
C-Class 470 342 +38
E-Class 306 329 -7
S-Class 106 115 -8
SUVs (including GLA) 543 426 +27
Sports cars 29 31 -4
smart 121 92 +31
Mercedes-Benz Cars 2,001 1,723 +16
thereof Western Europe 773 669 +16
thereof Germany 296 272 +9
NAFTA 412 391 +5
thereof United States 359 344 +4
China 400 293 +37
Japan 69 61 +13
1 Including model variants.
C.02