Mercedes 2006 Annual Report Download - page 99

Divisions |Mercedes Car Group |83
Market success of new models. The Mercedes-Benz brand
increased unit sales in the year under review by 5% to 1,149,100
vehicles. As a result, the brand was able to boost its market share
in key regions, despite more intense competition. This positive
result was primarily due to the very successful new model
launches in 2005, particularly that of the new S-Class, which went
on sale in the United States in February 2006. Like the new
CL- and GL-Class models, the updated E- and SL-Class vehicles
launched in 2006 were also very well received by the market
and contributed to the Mercedes-Benz brand’s success in the year
under review.
Unit sales of Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles in the United States
rose by 7% to 248,600 vehicles in 2006 – the eleventh consecu-
tive year that sales increased in that market. Total unit sales in
WesternEurope were 4% higher than the figure for the prior
year; we also slightlysurpassed the number sold in 2005 in the
German market. We sold 122,100 vehicles in the Asia/Pacific
region, an increase of 4%. Of this total, 47,000 units were sold in
Japan (+4%) and 16,400 were sold in China (+43%).
New and attractive models led to an increase in sales in the luxury
segment (S-, CL-, SL-Class and SLR) bymore than 50% to
107,700 units, thereby putting Mercedes-Benz clearly ahead of its
main competitors in this segment. Although unit sales in the
full-size premium segment (E- and CLS-Class) failed to reach the
prior year’s level due to model-lifecycle factors, we were never-
theless able to maintain our market leadership in this very competi-
tivesegment. Sales in the C-Class segment (C-, SLK-, CLK-Class)
fell, mainly due to the upcoming C-Class model changeover. The
A- and B-Class continued to play an important role for the
Mercedes-Benz brand as volume models in the year under review,
and unit sales of 292,500 vehicles (2005:262,300) show that
demand was still very high for these models. Thanks to an expanded
range of off-road variants and rapid growth in M-Class sales, we
sold 176,600 M-, R-, GL- and G-Class vehicles in the all-terrain/SUV
segment in the year under review (2005: 95,700). Mercedes-
Benz is thus the best-selling premium brand in the SUV segment
in Germany and the rest of Western Europe.
Unit sales of the smart brand totaled 102,700 vehicles in the
year under review (2005: 124,300). Unit sales of the smart fortwo
developed especially well throughout the year and the model’s
production volume exceeded the planned target in the vehicle’s
ninth year of production. More than 750,000 smart fortwos
have been sold since the vehicle’s market launch. Despite an in-
crease in production at the beginning of the year, nearly all
smart fortwo models built had been sold by the end of 2006.
Sales of the last smart roadsters and smart forfour models pro-
ceeded according to plan; nearly all remaining stocks of these
vehicles had been sold by the end of the year under review.
The mostimportant sales markets for the smart brand were once
again Germany(29,300 units, -16%) and Italy(28,700 units, -7%).
GL-Class – outstanding bothon and off-road. The newGL-
Class celebrated its world premiereat the North American Inter-
national AutoShowin Detroit in January2006. In addition to
offering excellent handling on both normal roads and rough terrain,
the seven-seat premium SUV pampers vehicle occupants with
generous spaciousness and the comfort of a sedan. The model’s
four gasoline and diesel variants are all equipped as standard
with 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission featuring
DIRECT SELECT and the 4MATIC permanent four-wheel drive
system from Mercedes-Benz. The new GL-Class has been available
in the United States since May 2006 and in Western Europe
since September.
CL-Class — the outstanding luxury coupe. The new CL-Class
was unveiled to the public for the first time in June 2006 at the new
Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The two-door model com-
bines peerless exclusivity and ambitious design with trailblazing
technology and perfect driving pleasure. Its package of innova-
tions includes the PRE-SAFE®braking system, which automatically
brakes the vehicle if a collision with a car driving ahead of it is
imminent, and the Intelligent Light System (ILS), which enables
drivers to select from five different lighting modes that corre-
spond with common driving and weather conditions. The new CL-
Class, which has been available in Western Europe since Sep-
tember 2006 and in the United States since December, has met
with a very positive response from our customers and the media.
The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class is an im-
pressive synthesis of driving comfort and
agility. It sets new standards in its segment
with the use of the latest safety systems.