Mercedes-Benz sales boosted by small car demand

Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said strong demand for its smaller models helped drive up sales to record levels last month.

Picture: Getty

The Stuttgart-based marque said sales in the UK jumped 17.3 per cent, pushing overall deliveries up 7.3 per cent to 121,360 vehicles – the highest-ever figure for May.

Along with a good performance across its A and B-Class cars, the firm said the recent launch of its CLA model, pictured, saw overall sales of its compact cars soar almost 66 per cent on last year.

Joachim Schmidt, the firm’s executive vice-president for sales and marketing, said: “We are posting solid increases in many markets in Europe and Asia, as well as in the US, at a time when the new E-Class and the CLA are just entering the big markets.” Sales in the US grew 9.8 per cent, and rocketed more than 60 per cent in Japan, but Mercedes-Benz fared less well on its home turf, with German deliveries falling 5.2 per cent amid a generally declining market.

Its Smart “micro-car” was also out of favour, with sales down 8.3 per cent.