Earlier this week, BMW announced itself as the most successful luxury carmaker in the U.S. for 2019 as far as sales are concerned, moving 324,826 units.
In total, the Bavarian brand sold a record 2.17 million cars last year, which despite being very impressive, still fell short of the year Mercedes managed to put together with 2.34 million vehicles sold globally. Audi meanwhile trailed both of its rivals with 1.85 million cars sold.
As a group though, BMW together with its MINI and Rolls Royce marques edged Mercedes-Benz and Smart with 2,520,307 deliveries versus 2,339,562 respectively.
Mercedes posted personal best numbers in Germany, China and the U.S. thanks to a strong demand for SUVs and high-end sedans. Meanwhile, demand in China went up by 6.2%, with customers ordering over 700 Maybach models per month according to Autonews Europe.
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“The ninth consecutive record year underscores once more the strong demand for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, even amidst far-reaching changes in the mobility landscape. In addition, Mercedes-Benz continues to be clearly the number one in the luxury market – this proves how valuable our brand is. 2019 was a year of great challenges for the automotive industry. The next two years will also be characterized more than ever by the transformation of our industry,” said Daimler boss Ola Kallenius.
“In this challenging environment, we intend to further increase our unit sales and set the course for long-term competitiveness. With investments in new technologies and profitable sales growth, we are paving the way for Mercedes-Benz to lead the global luxury market as a pioneer of sustainable luxury also in an era of CO2-neutral mobility.”
Mercedes also completed its best quarter of all time from October to December 2019, surpassing the milestone of 600,000 units sold for its passenger car division. The exact number was 614,319 units, representing a 3.2% increase.
All in all, Mercedes maintained market leadership for the luxury segment in several world markets, such as Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and South Africa.
