Mercedes-Benz Malaysia sales exceed 10,000 units in 2015

The three-pointed star enjoyed a stellar year in 2015, as Malaysians lapped up a total of 10,845 units of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, exceeding 2014's total of 6,932 units by a whopping 56 percent.

Fueled by an aggressive model offensive that brought a very complete representation of the brand's global portfolio of models to our market, 2015 goes on record as being Mercedes-Benz Malaysia's (MBM) best year to date.

Starting with the E 300 BlueTec Hybrid in January, the company went on to add the facelifted CLS 400, CKD variants of the W205 C-Class, AMG GT S, B-Class facelift, and AMG C 63 S to its line-up.

In addition, the CLA Shooting Brake was previewed in October, followed by the creation of its Dream Cars Collection that consist of the CLS, AMG GT, C 63 S, E 250 Coupe, and S 63 Coupe. Combined sales of these models total up to 379 units.

Key sales drivers continue to be the core of locally-assembled models, led by the mid-sized W212 E-Class which sold 3,383 units, albeit the majority being the duty-free E 300 BlueTec Hybrid that accounted for nearly 2,700 units on its own. MBM expects demand for the W212 to remain robust even in the face of its impending successor, which is due to debut globally at the upcoming Detroit Motor Show.

The award-winning W205 C-Class, which commenced local assembly in April, also finished the year strongly with 2,697 units finding homes. With a full year of sales ahead, and the E-Class possibly making a transition to an all-new model, the C-Class is primed to be MBM’s best-selling model for 2016.

Sales of the flagship S 400 L Hybrid effectively doubled, with 1,909 cars sold in 2015. Like the E 300 BlueTec Hybrid, the S 400 L Hybrid enjoys tax exemptions under the National Automotive Policy. The exemptions were due to have lapsed in December 2015, but the company recently confirmed that the Government have approved an extension to the incentive scheme, meaning their prices remain unchanged.

Meanwhile, the Compact Cars family of models, which consist of the A-Class, CLA, and GLA, have went on to establish themselves as key contributors to the company’s bottom line with 832, 959, and 816 units sold respectively. Combined sales of these three models, all of which are fully-imported, reached 2,811 units, up 21 percent from their 2014 tally.

For 2016, the model offensive is set to continue, with opening salvos fired in the form of the CLS 250d launched today along with new variants of the CLA, namely the CLA 250 4Matic and CLA 250 4Matic Shooting Brake. The company is also expected to expand its SUV portfolio with launches of the GLC, GLE, and GLC Coupe models.