The Mercedes-Benz Cars division - with the brands Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach - sold a total of 111,100 vehicles in May 2008, a decrease of four percent from the 116,000 units sold in May 2007. Unit sales over the first five months of the year rose ten percent at the division, however, reaching the new record level of 548,800 vehicles (January-May 2007: 500,500).

In May, the Mercedes-Benz brand delivered 98,100 new passenger cars, or five percent fewer than the 103,400 units recorded for the same month last year. Since the beginning of 2008, a total of 493,200 customers worldwide have opted to purchase a Mercedes-Benz model, an increase of five percent from the 468,400 buyers who chose a vehicle from the brand during the same period last year. This five-month sales figure also marks a new record for the Mercedes-Benz brand.

The C-Class remains extremely popular after only a little more than a year on the market. Sales of the model series’ sedan and station wagon variants rose 50 percent to 34,400 units last month (May 2007: 22,900), and a total of 350,000 new C-Class vehicles have been sold since the sedan’s premiere at dealerships at the end of March 2007, and the station wagon’s market launch in December of the same year.

Meanwhile, the new-generation Mercedes-Benz SL is thrilling sports car lovers with an even sportier design, as the latest version of the world’s most successful premium roadster attracted 1,900 buyers last month (May 2007: 1,300). With its new direct steering system, the two-seater is even more dynamic than ever, and also boasts enhanced safety and comfort.

The smart fortwo also continues to do extremely well after slightly more than a year on the market: the two-seater set a new record in May 2008 with sales of 13,000 units (May 2007: 12,200), an increase of six percent.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the U.S. achieved an even high level as last year with 21,800 units sold. The brand also continues to perform well in the Asia/Pacific region, where unit sales rose by15 percent in May to 11,900 vehicles (May 2007: 10,300). Especially the Chinese market made a big contribution here, as it accounted for 2,800 ( 39 percent) deliveries to the region (May 2007: 2,000).

Despite a continued sluggish market in Western Europe, Mercedes-Benz was able to boost unit sales in the region by three percent over the first five months of this year to 282,000 vehicles (January-May 2007: 273,900).