Lineup facilitates fastest growth in segment

Following a year of record-breaking sales, Mercedes-Benz has further consolidated its position as the fastest-growing premium brand in China, a title it has held for four consecutive years.
"I believe a huge factor in our success in 2010 is our position as the only luxury automaker to have the complete product lineup with full segment penetration in China," said Bjorn Hauber, executive vice-president of sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd.
The automaker enjoyed a thoroughly successful year in sales, as it witnessed high sales figures, month after month, even twice surpassing its own whole-year targets.
With its complete product lineup now available in China, Mercedes-Benz now boasts an extensive array of vehicles, providing customers with a wider range of choice across different segments.
The S-Class delivered a total of 25,000 units in 2010, a 67 percent increase compared with last year, reinforcing China's position as model's largest market in the world and the S-Class' leading position in the top premium car segment.
"The world's best business sedan", as Hauber termed the E-Class, concluded 2010 with sales of nearly 4,610 units, making it the automaker's top-selling vehicle in December.
In line with the rising popularity of SUVs in China, Mercedes-Benz's rich SUV lineup also performed very well in 2010, with a total sales of nearly 29,380 units.
The GLK remained the automaker's consistent SUV best-seller with sales of more than 12,470 units for the entire year. The R-Class also had noteworthy sales figures for the year with total deliveries reaching nearly 6,470 units.
The sports car family was also an important contributor to the automaker's success in 2010, growing 91 percent from 2009 on sales of over 5,650 units.
The flashy CLS was the volume leader of the group with almost 3,030 units, a 233 percent year-on-year growth. The two-seat roadster SLK also helped drive sales with 1,930 units sold in 2010. Mercedes-Benz's other sports cars such as the SL-Class, E-Coupe, and E-Cabriolet all continue to win the approval of China's elite.
In 2010, Mercedes-Benz's high performance brand AMG not only experienced success from selling nearly 1,380 cars, it also saw the introduction of the highly acclaimed SLS AMG in China, which premiered at the Chengdu Auto Show in September.
Ultra-luxury brand Maybach further strengthened its foothold in the China market in 2010, by securing its most number of orders globally from Chinese customers. The automaker demonstrated its commitment to Maybach's largest market with the launch of the New Generation Maybach in Beijing in September 2010.
"Given the market's positive reception to our models, we're confident in our ability to maintain strong sales momentum and growth in the coming years."