Even though 2020 was a difficult year, Mercedes-Benz managed to keep its top position in the premium segment, ahead of BMW. And it looks like 2021 will be at the same pace.
Mercedes-Benz Cars sold 590,999 passenger cars (+22.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 driven by China and US retail sales as well as strong demand for plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles. In Europe, one in four cars sold by Mercedes-Benz and smart was an xEV. Globally, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars made up about 10% of overall sales, with approximately 59,000 units and thereof more than 16,000 all-electric vehicles sold.
The EQA, presented in January, achieved a high level of order intake and customer inquiries. “With around 20,000 orders already received, the customer feedback for the EQA provides a promising kick-start into our Mercedes-EQ year 2021”, stated Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes‑Benz AG responsible for Marketing and Sales. First deliveries of the EQA started at the end of March.
With the EQS, EQB and EQE, three more Mercedes-EQ world premieres will take place in 2021 to further expand the line-up of six all-electric models at Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We will keep up the pace for electrification: On April 15, we will present the EQS as our electric flagship model. I am convinced that the EQS will fascinate customers across the world as it is a game changer in terms of driving experience and connected services”, said Britta Seeger. The company will also continue to extend its wide and attractive xEV product range by offering its customers a total of about 30 plug-in hybrid variants until the end of 2021.
The current worldwide shortage of supply in certain semiconductor components affected deliveries in the first quarter and will continue to affect sales in Q2. The company monitors the situation closely and is in constant contact with the suppliers.
Sales of Mercedes-Benz in the Asia-Pacific region rose 46.6% due to the continuing strong sales development in China: where a new record was achieved with 222,520 cars delivered in Q1 (+60.1%). In January, sales in China almost reached the milestone of 100,000 vehicles within a single month. In the Europe region, brand deliveries were despite ongoing lockdown measures in many markets at the beginning of the year slightly above Q1 2020 (+1.8%). In Germany, Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 54,446 cars (‑15.4%). Sales in the North America region totalled 88,318 units (+12.5%) with 78,256 passenger cars delivered to customers in the USA (+15.5%). Moreover, in the USA, Mercedes-Benz was the strongest-selling luxury car brand in Q1.
