Jaguar celebrates becoming the best premium brand at Driver Power awards.

• Jaguar named best premium brand car manufacturer by owners in Driver Power survey
• Jaguar drivers eulogise about their car’s ease of driving, ride quality, performance and in-car technology
• More than 46,000 car owners took part in the customer satisfaction survey

Jaguar has been ranked the best premium car brand in the influential Driver Power manufacturer league table. The 2014 edition of the Auto Express-supported customer satisfaction survey saw the British luxury and sports car marque’s score increase by three per cent year-on-year to 89.34, as Jaguar owners gave glowing feedback on every aspect of their car.

For the third year running, Jaguar cars were praised for offering the best ride quality and ease of driving of cars from any brand. On top of this, an impressive three Jaguar products finished in the top five performance cars – with the XK topping the chart and receiving a Driver Power Award for Best Performance. Jaguar cars were also rated second-best for in-car technology.

Auto Express Editor-in-Chief Steve Fowler said: “Jaguar has moved up the Driver Power rankings in 2014 and as a result becomes the highest-ranked premium brand in the survey. Much of that is down to the way a Jaguar car drives – owners love their cars’ performance, ride and handling. If Jaguar continues to show improvements at this rate, it could top our survey next year.”

 

Success in the 2014 edition of the Driver Power survey follows a similar result in last year’s JD Power survey, where Jaguar was named the best manufacturer. It means Jaguar is now rated as the best premium brand by the two biggest motoring satisfaction surveys in the country.  

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, said: “The priority at Jaguar is to put the customer first – it’s at the forefront of our minds with every car we produce. So we’re incredibly proud to be so highly rated by the people who buy our cars. With a series of truly exciting products in the pipeline – which will be based on our new advanced aluminium architecture – we’re confident that we can continue to meet and exceed the desires of UK car buyers for many years to come.”

Mercedes sees sales success in the US

MBUSA sees 9.8% jump as volumes for the year reach 128,730

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported another month of record highs with sales reaching 27,359, an 8.3% increase over May 2012. Sales volumes at Mercedes-Benz jumped 9.8% last month (24,713), bringing year-to-date totals for the brand to a record high of 117,535. Sprinter Van year-to-date sales increased 5.3% from the same time last year to 7,517, combining with steady momentum from smart at 3,678 to round out MBUSA's year-to-date totals of 128,730.

"We've seen five consecutive months of best-ever sales in 2013," said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of MBUSA. "Strong momentum carries across the entire product line from our entry models straight up to the high end, which is ahead 24 percent for the year. We expect to build on that pace as more of our completely redesigned E-Class models roll into dealer showrooms."

The highest Mercedes-Benz volume performers for May were the C-, E- and M-Class model lines. The C-Class—the sporty gateway to the brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers—led sales at 8,013 units, up 20.5% from May 2012. Sales of the E-Class, which receives a complete redesign for 2014 and is now arriving in dealerships, followed at 4,930. MBUSA's top-selling SUV, the M-Class, rounded out the top three with sales of 3,219. Strong performers at the high end included the company's flagship S-Class, up 16.4%, and the award winning GL-Class SUV which increased 41.0% over the same period last year.

The Sprinter model line posted sales of 1,828 for the month, while smart saw a 16.4% boost in sales volume totaling 818 units.

Sales of the company's BlueTEC diesel models were 1,503 for the month, up 47.5% from the same period last year. On the high-performance side, AMG model sales finished the month of May at 536.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 8,113 vehicles in May; an increase of 24.2% when compared to May 2012 (sales of 6,534 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 41,231 vehicles, an increase of 25.6% over the comparable period (with sales of 32,826 vehicles).

Mercedes records huge increases in UK May sales

• Mercedes-Benz UK car registrations up 16.5 per cent for the month of May
• Total of 8,326 cars were registered in May – a best-ever performance
• Adds to growth of 13.9 per cent for the year-to-date, to 44,615 new cars
• AMG continues high performing year – up 52.9 per cent in 2013 with 1214 registrations
• Coupé and Roadster registrations – led by C-Class, E-Class and SLK-Class – also post significant gains
• Efficient motoring on the rise: smart fortwo registrations up 78.9 per cent in May
• Sprinter panel van sees 24.1 per cent rise in registrations

Mercedes-Benz UK has posted a record 16.5 per cent rise in registrations for the month of May according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – adding to the momentum already achieved by a record first quarter, and a total year-to-date gain of 13.9 per cent.

Registrations totalled 8,326 cars in May – bringing the number of cars registered by Mercedes-Benz for the year-to-date to 44,615.

Highlights in May included strong performances by the Coupé and Roadster models – the C-Class, CLS-Class, E-Class and SLK-Class each achieving significant gains for the month.  Likewise, AMG continued its record form – 1214 examples have been registered in 2013 attributing for a 52.9 per cent rise for the year-to-date.

In the month that saw the new S-Class being unveiled, the existing model retained top spot in its market segment – finishing May as the Number One luxury car, a position it’s held all year.

At the other end of the scale, the smart fortwo posted a 78.9 per cent rise in registrations in May, adding to what has been a highly successful year so far for the smart brand.  A number of these cars will be used by car2go customers, the simple-to-use car sharing service based in London and Birmingham.

A consistently popular model in the UK, the B-Class, maintained its strong performance with a 56.8 per cent rise in registrations in May, and YTD registrations of 2,965 cars.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles registrations were also strong against a challenging market, with the Sprinter panel van achieving an 24.1 per cent gain in May – a total of 1,261 vans.  The Sprinter range is up 9.3 per cent for the year while, the panel van version has posted a 15.2 per cent gain.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO Mercedes-Benz UK, commented: “A strong May and a record-breaking first five months, signs of growth in our Commercial Vehicles operations and another great performance by the AMG brand have put us in a strong position as we enter the summer.

“My colleagues and I at Mercedes-Benz UK and the sales and customer service teams at our passenger car Retailers and CV Dealers throughout the UK will continue to work hard to sustain and build on this progress.  As we introduce new and exciting models to the UK – most recently the CLA-Class, the new E-Class and the new GL-Class - we are welcoming new customers to Mercedes-Benz, and along with those of our existing owners, we will meet and exceed their expectations.”