News

Mercedes-Benz Canada reports its best July ever and year-to-date
growth of 18%
TORONTO, ON - Mercedes-Benz Canada reported today that the company achieved
its best July on record. A total of 2,102 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and luxury
light trucks were retailed in July, up 6.3%. A YTD total of 16,395 vehicles have now
been retailed so far this year, ahead by 17.6% compared to the 2009 results.
At the end of seven months, total passenger car sales have shown a gain of 16.7% or
1,419 units, while luxury light truck sales increased by 18.9% or 1,029 units.
Strong B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL-Class and GLK-Class model sales
contributed to July's successful results. With a sales increase of 18.8% for the month
and 32.7% year-to-date, the S-Class continues to distinguish itself in the high-end
luxury category. In addition, sales of the B-Class and the SL-Class were ahead by a
notable 17.3% and 47.1% respectively for the month.
The diesel take rate was 80.1% for the month, while permanent all-wheel drive
4MATIC™ units accounted for 67.0% of the overall passenger car and light truck
sales in July (excluding smart).
smart reported a total of 180 units delivered in July. The smart brand has retailed a
total of 1,299 vehicles year-to-date.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter sales continued to grow across Canada with 120 units
delivered for the month.
The extraordinary brand-shaping SLS AMG is now steadily arriving in dealerships
across the country. Fifty-nine units have already been retailed so far which clearly
underlines the brand's leading position and dominating strength in the super sports
car category.

A total of 2,402 units were sold for the Mercedes-Benz Group for a best July ever.
This now brings our YTD growth to 18.7% for an additional 2,887 units sold in the
first seven months.
Mercedes-Benz Pre-owned sales reported their best July ever with a total of 895
vehicles delivered for the month. This represents an increase of 16.5% or 127 units
compared to July 2009, and overall growth of 26.8% or 1,250 vehicles for national
Pre-owned sales year-to-date.
"From the versatile B-Class to our fuel efficient range of BlueTEC clean diesel models
and the myriad of vehicle options in the high-end and performance categories, our
strong sales results reflect the fact that our diverse product portfolio remains
extremely competitive and very well-positioned in every segment," said Marcus
Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. "Our formula for
sustained sales growth is not limited to our fascinating vehicle range. The catalyst to
our continued growth is the commitment of all our employees and dealers across
Canada, and they are all commended for their hard work and ongoing efforts to
ensure that our brands are synonymous with an unmatched ownership experience in
the automotive industry."

 

Mercedes drivers enjoy better road safety

Stuttgart - The evidence is now clear: drivers of Mercedes vehicles are safer on the road than drivers of other car brands. This is the result of a study of Mercedes accident research based on official, anonymous data samples from the Federal Office of Statistics. Having looked at 18,748 accidents resulting in personal injury during the period from 2003 to 2007, the study found that the risk of being seriously or fatally injured as the driver of a E-Class, is 10.4 percent lower than for comparable vehicles of other brands.

The study did not even allow for the fact that Mercedes-Benz vehicles are involved in accidents less frequently than the vehicles of other brands - primarily because, among other reasons, Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to introduce ESP® across the board. The study of accident severity only took into account accidents resulting in personal injury. The criteria were initial registration from 2002 onwards, as well as a performance and weight class corresponding to the E-Class.

The result represents clear evidence of the contribution made by the passive safety systems of Mercedes-Benz to reducing the consequences of an accident. Thanks to adaptive front airbags and belt-force limiters, which can adapt to the severity of an impact, rollover sensors, windowbags as standard and an intelligently designed body structure which provides occupants with excellent protection even in the event of severe collisions, at the time of its world premiere in 2002 the E-Class became the new benchmark for passenger car safety in the luxury class.

In the course of a facelift of the E-Class in the spring of 2006, the Mercedes engineers continued to achieve further substantial advances in the field of high-level safety, equipping the E-Class with safety systems which no other passenger car in this class was able to offer. At the time PRE-SAFE® was introduced, the interlinking of systems for accident prevention with occupant protection marked the start of a new era in this vehicle class. This Mercedes invention takes advantage of the time between detecting an accident-prone situation and possible accident damage for occupant protection. With the new E-Class, Mercedes-Benz has continued to build on the advances being made in the field of safety. Around a dozen new or enhanced driver assistance systems contribute to preventing accidents and reducing the severity of an impact. These include the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection system, as well as the optional DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control system and PRE-SAFE® Brakes with autonomous emergency braking. For the first time, PRE-SAFE® can also make use of information from the short-range radar sensors in the front bumper to tighten the front seat belts in the very last split second before an unavoidable accident, thus helping to reduce the loads suffered by the driver and front passenger in a crash.

With nine airbags as standard, four seat-belt tensioners and belt-force limiters as well as crash-responsive NECK-PRO head restraints for driver and front passenger, the new E-Class provides an even more comprehensive level of safety equipment than its predecessor. As well as the air cushions, which can be activated in milliseconds in the event of an accident, there are also two adaptive airbags for the driver and front passenger, a kneebag for the driver, two sidebags in the front seat backrests, and also two generously sized windowbags which span the area from the A to the C-pillar in the event of a side impact. For the first time, pelvisbags have also been incorporated for the front seat occupants. These can also help to reduce loads in the upper body and pelvic areas in the event of a side collision. Sidebags are also available as an optional extra for the rear passengers, while another safety innovation includes automatic adaptive belt-force limiters in the rear, now available for the first time as an option from Mercedes-Benz. These adjust automatically to the size and weight of the passengers.