Mercedes like others have a record March.

• Biggest month ever, at 18,655 new car registrations, up 15.4 per cent
• Biggest quarter ever, 28,698 new cars registered, an increase of 13.2 per cent
• Mercedes-Benz continues to be the fastest-growing premium brand
• Record monthly and year to date (YTD) market share of 4.7 per cent
• Record month for C-Class Coupé, CLS four-door Coupé, G-Class
• AMG registrations up 89.6 per cent YTD
• Registrations to private buyers increase 16.3 per cent YTD
• Vans record a strong March, with registrations up 3.8 per cent
• 199 Citans registered in the first full month of customer sales

Milton Keynes.  Mercedes-Benz UK and its dealer network have achieved their best-ever record-breaking registration performance, according to figures released today by SMMT.  March 2013 was the most successful in the company’s history, with 18,655 new cars being registered.  This is an increase of 15.4 per cent over March 2012.

March topped a record-breaking quarter for the company, as 28,698 new cars were registered in Q1, which was 13.2 per cent more than the first three months of last year.  The quarterly result eclipses the previous record, set at the end of 2012, by 2700 cars.

The stellar results mean that Mercedes-Benz continues to be the UK’s fastest-growing premium manufacturer, and in a buoyant overall new car market, recorded its best-ever month and year to date market share of 4.7 per cent.  Likewise, registrations to retail customers were up 16.3 per cent.

The registration boost was reflected across the range, with sustainable levels of growth in all segments.  The C-Class achieved 10th place in the overall registration figures for the UK in March and ninth place for Q1. Registrations, meanwhile, were up in all sectors. The CLS Coupé, for example, reported 1301 registrations – a record for March and for Q1.

High-performance purchases were up too, as AMG registrations increased by 89.6 per cent for the YTD. So far this year, 747 new AMGs have been registered, including 27 G 63 AMGs; marking an overall YTD AMG increase of 89.6 per cent.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO Mercedes-Benz UK, explained the results:  “More new and returning customers than ever before are choosing to drive a Mercedes-Benz, and that’s great news for them, and the thousands of dedicated people we’ve got all over the country who work so hard to achieve these extraordinary results.  Everybody’s hard work and effort is paying off.  Making our attractive, exciting, affordable premium cars appeal to ever-more people is our mission and it’s a mission we’re continuing to meet head-on.

“Today’s results also show that we’re not dependent on one or two models to bolster the bulk of our sales volumes – we’re selling more cars to more people across the entire range.  AMG appropriately continues to charge ahead, as does every vehicle in our portfolio that we’re volume-controlling by either its graduated introduction or phased run-out.”

Marcus Breitschwerdt continued:  “We don’t take any of this success for granted, and are using the momentum of our new car registration results to continue to offer great deals on fantastic products through our UK network of excellent dealerships.  We’ve a wide range of new cars ready to arrive in the UK too, and I’m looking forward to the opportunities and results throughout the rest of the year.”

Commercial vehicles

Mercedes-Benz vans rallied to a strong performance in March, with registrations increasing by 3.8 per cent to 5888 units.

The new Citan got off to a great start, with 199 new compact vans being registered in the first full month of customer sales.  Over 200 Euro-V Vito Taxis have been registered YTD, over 26 per cent more than Q1 2012.

Actros led the heavy trucks divisions’ performance, with registrations rallying 60.8 per cent in March 2013, and up 2.6 per cent over 2012’s launch phase.  Axor increased 5.3 per cent in March, and Fuso Canter registrations were up 17.6 per cent in the same month.

Marcus Breitschwerdt commented: “It’s encouraging to see that our vans division is delivering great results, and the first figures from our compact Citan show it is supporting the success of our established Vito [medium] and Sprinter [large] vans.

“Our heavy truck range is currently going through the biggest change-over in our history, and pretty soon the New Actros will be the ‘oldest’ product we offer – and it’s only just turned one year-old!

“At next week’s CV Show we’re showcasing a wealth of new products, showing that Mercedes-Benz is making enormous investments across the range to deliver efficient, safe, cost-effective commercial vehicles for operators that help drive British businesses forward.

“A new van or truck can be an important investment, and our team will be on site at the NEC in Birmingham to explain in detail how a new Mercedes-Benz can support their businesses.”