Mercedes-Benz Sales Suffer An 11% Decline In January Sales

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported January sales of 22,507 Mercedes- Benz models. Mercedes-Benz Vans reported January sales with 1,214 units and smart reported 83 units, bringing MBUSA to a grand total of 23,804 vehicles for the month.

"Our January performance was affected by a number of factors including extreme weather in key markets," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "We anticipate a strong rebound with the arrival of several new models this year including the all new A-Class sedan and GLE."

Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in January included the GLC, C-Class and E-Class model lines. The GLC took the lead at 4,908, followed by C-Class sales of 4,676. The E-Class rounded out the top three with 3,258 units sold.

January sales of Mercedes-AMG high-performance models totaled 2,882 units, up 17.4% compared to the same month last year.

Separately, Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 10,143 vehicles in January, an increase of 7.5% when compared to the same month last year (9,437)

GermanNut - 2/1/2019 4:03:14 PM

+3 Boost

The E-Class has still failed to gain traction. The mid-size sedan segment is really feeling the impact of soaring SUV sales.

The new GLE should give Mercedes-Benz a nice boost once it arrives in spring.

cidflekken - 2/1/2019 5:20:21 PM

+3 Boost

Part of the problem with the E is the ever changing model designations and offferings. While the 300 stays consistent, the 400 is now the 450 and the 43 is now the 53. The 400 and 43 were all just introduced last year and now are already being “replaced”. So for these transitions the 400 and 43 were no longer available while the 450 and 53 aren’t hit dealerships yet.

Car4life1 - 2/1/2019 6:13:38 PM

+1 Boost

Lol wat midsize luxury sedan is killing it right now, none, and as long as gas prices stay affordable, SUVs will continue to dominate

Benz was the only luxury make to break into the 20 thousands for the month of January which is interesting.

BMW and Lexus will be playing leapfrog again, but are now within striking distance for Audi, and Audi is now within striking distance for Infiniti

Let the games and lease specials begin

mre30 - 2/1/2019 11:01:08 PM

+2 Boost

Despite fawning by the automotive puff press, the E-Class is just a poor product. Its poorly packaged, looks exactly like the 20% cheaper C-Class, and does not look premium. Some of the E/CLS sales are due to the lag in the launch of the new CLS, but not that much.

The fact that the S-Class sales have also fallen off the cliff is an indication in my opinion of the rapid obsolescence of MB'b 'melted soap bar design/drooper diaper with a a dump rear' design.

Does anyone in automotive retailing know if MB has solved its 2018 inventory management problem which might still be around? Or is this a real drop in sales?

Car4life1 - 2/2/2019 1:13:42 AM

0 Boost

LMAO, S Class sales fell off a cliff ? Yet it sold twice as much at the 7 and 4 times as much as the A8?!?! Lol where did you all find this guy?

The S class is simply not immune to market trends and right now the market is leaning towesrds it’s GLS and G Wagon stable mates, no surprise there

cidflekken - 2/2/2019 4:01:23 PM

0 Boost

Mre30 that’s the biggest pile of manure I’ve read in a while. With all due respect of course <wink>

cidflekken - 2/1/2019 5:32:52 PM

+2 Boost

It does look like buyers are awaiting the arrival of the A sedan, explaining the significant drop in sales of the A3. And it is surprising how strong CLA sales remain.

GermanNut - 2/2/2019 1:11:59 PM

-1 Boost

Mercedes-Benz sales weakened significantly last year (a greater drop in percentage terms than their BMW or Audi) but Mercedes-Benz still finished first in the U.S. and globally by a good margin. The company is obviously doing something right.

I believe the Mercedes sales decline is due to inventory mismanagement and not stale exterior design. Even if the exterior soap bar design was getting stale, Mercedes-Benz changes its product the most from one generation to the next compared to Audi and BMW. This is a major reason why Mercedes is in first place globally.

skytop - 2/2/2019 4:55:49 PM

+1 Boost

That will teach Mercedes to offer serious rebates and promotions.