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Mercedes-Benz announces record Canadian sales for January 2008

Chris February 7, 2008

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The three-pointed star continues to shine brightly in the Great White North. Sales of Mercedes-Benz and Smart combined increased by 39% compared to January 2007. This was the best start to the year in the company’s history. Mercedes-Benz sales were nearly 25% better than January 2007. Sales of the B-Class (not available in the U.S.), C-Class and the E-Class were particularly strong. The most notable sales success was the C-Class, which was recently awarded the title of AJAC’s Best New Luxury Car 2008 (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada). Over 60% of the C-Class sales were 4-Matic models. This is no surprise as there have been record snowfalls in some parts of Canada, and RWD is not the best in these conditions in my experience.

SUV sales (M-Class, GL-Class and R-Class) were on a par with January 2007, but crucially nearly 60% of these sales were diesel models. Many Benz fans will be hoping that the success of diesel in the light trucks persuades Mercedes-Benz Canada to eventually introduce Bluetec across all models. Currently, the only sedan available with diesel technology is the E-Class Bluetec.


U.S. sales increased by 7.1% compared to January 2007. This makes the Canadian performance all the more impressive and 2008 could be an excellent year for the company. It will be interesting to see whether new powertrain technologies are made available for the 2009 model year (in the fall) to boost sales further, such as direct injection gasoline engines or hybrids. Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada commented, “On the heels of our best year ever with 16,114 units in 2007, January’s momentum is actually in higher gear and it is no coincidence that this is a record-breaking January for us.” The 2007 combined sales of Mercedes, Maybach and Smart in Canada were a 5.6% improvement over 2006.

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