Battery-electric sales hit record 68,400 on European demand
Mercedes-Benz said Wednesday that third-quarter car sales fell 8% to 407,200 vehicles, as a 31% drop in its largest market, China, outweighed growth in the U.S. and Europe. Global car and van sales fell 6% to 491,700 vehicles over the same period.
The company attributed the China decline to “challenging passenger car market conditions and intense competition.” The GLC and E-Class models together accounted for almost two-thirds of Mercedes-Benz Cars sales in China and “remained more resilient than the overall market,” the company said. Two recent product launches anchor the company’s recent activity in the country: the new electric GLC L, launched in July, “is successfully ramping up and has been well received in the country,” the company said, and a new locally produced GLE L SUV went on sale in mid-September.
U.S. car sales rose 6% on year, helped by a refreshed SUV lineup following the arrival of the new GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS at U.S. dealerships. Sales in Europe increased 5%, with broad-based growth across markets, led by Germany and the U.K.
Battery-electric car sales rose 61% on year to 68,400, the highest quarterly figure in company history. “Mercedes-Benz Cars achieved the highest quarterly battery-electric vehicle sales in the company’s history, led by the electric GLC,” sales chief Mathias Geisen said in the statement.
“Our new electric models GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the rest of the year, with order books extending into 2027,” Geisen said. To meet that demand, the company’s plants in Bremen, Rastatt and Kecskemet are operating on three-shift schedules, the company said.