Mercedes-Benz Canada Achieves Record-Breaking Results in 2016 and is Top Luxury Manufacturer for the Third Year in a Row

Best year ever for the group and record-breaking results in all of the following categories:

• Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, vans and smart combined sales of 48,320 units (up 8.5%)
• Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light truck sales of 40,526 units (up 4.0%)
• Mercedes-Benz passenger car sales of 21,243 units
• Mercedes-Benz luxury light truck sales of 19,283 units (up 8.5%)
• Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned sales reach 12,700 units
• Mercedes-Benz Vans sales reach 5,919 units (up 22.4%)
• Mercedes-AMG sales up 84%

TORONTO, Jan. 4, 2017 /CNW/ - Mercedes-Benz Canada is delighted to announce that the company and its dealer network once again exceeded previously-established all-time records, with 48,320 Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles, vans and smart units delivered in 2016, representing a growth of 8.5% or 3,794 additional vehicles delivered over 2015. This outstanding result marked the third consecutive year in which the company has been the top luxury manufacturer in Canada.

In 2016, Mercedes-Benz passenger car and luxury light truck sales totaled 40,526 units. This exceeded last year's sales figures by 4.0% or 1,550 units.

Mercedes-Benz Canada retailed a total of 21,243 passenger cars, which is more or less on par with last year's sales figures. Luxury light truck sales amounted to 19,283 units, for a notable increase of 8.5% or 1,509 units.

Passenger car sales were bolstered by the launch of new and refreshed models, including the C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, the E-Class Sedan, the SLC Roadster, and the S-Class Cabriolet. Among these, the new C-Class Coupe stood out on the road and in numbers, with sales of 1,353 units. The facelifted CLA also made its mark in 2016, with 4,150 units retailed – up from 3,870 in 2015 for a growth of 7.2%. It is worth mentioning that the sales of the spectacular Mercedes-AMG GT increased by 20.7% year-over-year.

In 2016, there was a consistently strong performance across the luxury light truck product portfolio, including stand-out results from the new GLC Coupe and the facelifted GLS. Month-over-month, the GLA shined in the market with a 13.3% growth, which contributed to year-over-year growth of 18.3%, or 4,400 units sold overall. Sales of the G-Class saw an impressive increase of 63.2% compared with 2015, while the GLE SUV and the GLE Coupe also proved to be very popular among consumers with combined sales of 7,281 units.

On the cusp of celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2017, Mercedes-AMG maintained an impressive upward trajectory with a record-breaking total of 6,723 units delivered in 2016, an increase of 84% or 3,647 additional units over 2015. The striking increase in sales can be attributed in part to the launch of new Sport Models including the Mercedes-AMG C 43 Sedan and Coupe and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 43 SUV and Coupe. Mercedes-AMG now accounts for 17% of total Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle sales in Canada – up from 7.9% in 2015 and 6% in 2014.

The Mercedes-AMG success story was reflected not only in its strong sales, but also with rave press reviews. The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe was among the top three finalists in the "Best New Premium Sports – Performance Car" category at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's annual Canadian Car of the Year Awards event. The GLC 300 4MATIC SUV won AJAC's Best New Premium Utility vehicle category.

2016 welcomed the Canadian launch of the smart fortwo cabrio, an iconic variant of the new generation coupe that was launched in 2015. The popularity of both new generation models, coupled with captive unit sales for car2go, supported robust yearly sales of 1,875 units. The highly-anticipated smart fortwo electric drive, also offered in coupe and cabrio versions, will be launched in Canada in 2017 making agility and emission-free driving more attractive than ever.

Mercedes-Benz Vans had an outstanding year with consistently strong results throughout all four quarters. This helped boost overall growth for the vans division by 22.4%, or 1,085 units sold, with a grand total of 5,919 vans delivered in 2016. The ever popular Sprinter vans accounted for 4,677 units while a total of 1,242 Metris mid-size commercial vans were retailed during their first full year of sales. Fleet sales results were also up year-over-year for all Sprinter and Metris models, thanks to meaningful partnerships with vehicle body builders, international courier service companies, and public services.

Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned maintained a steady sales pace throughout 2016, culminating in 1,152 vehicles delivered in December, for a yearly total of 15,958 vehicles retailed. This represented another record-breaking year for the Pre-Owned business in Canada, with a slight gain of 1.7% or 269 units over 2015. Certified Pre-Owned sales represented 12,700 units of the total, and accounted for 79.6% of the yearly volume of pre-owned sales.

With more than 85% of the dealerships across the country now fully refurbished or newly constructed, 2016 saw the ground-breaking of a new satellite dealership in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Construction is progressing well at the Mercedes-Benz Country Hills location in Calgary for a planned late summer 2017 opening.  

"While we were definitely aiming to surpass our 2015 record-breaking results and cross the 40,000 unit threshold, the final tally netted out at 40,526 passenger cars and light trucks sold in Canada in 2016. We also delivered 1,875 smart fortwos and 5,919 Sprinter and Metris commercial vans, achieving a grand total of 48,320 units for the year. Needless to say, I am extremely proud of this outstanding achievement," said Brian D. Fulton, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. "While the numbers alone were enough reason for all of us to rejoice for a few days, there is also the important matter of being the number one luxury car manufacturer in Canada for the third year in row! This was no small feat when you look at how strong the industry numbers were across the board."

He further added, "When I started this new job in May, I knew that Mercedes-Benz Canada was in great shape and that I had an amazing team of employees, a highly committed dealer network and our savvy Mercedes-Benz Financial Services partner – all of which would work closely to accomplish great things. I wish to extend my most sincere gratitude to each and every person within all of these organizations who pulled together to help us reach this most exciting pinnacle. Congratulations on a job well done. I would be remiss not to say that the well-deserved celebration will unfortunately be short lived as another year is already underway and the odometer is back to zero for everyone."       

About Mercedes-Benz Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,500 people in 21 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 11 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 47 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 48,320 vehicles in 2016. This represents the best year ever for the company and has positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the third consecutive year.

Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available on the internet at: www.media.mercedes-benz.ca

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

For further information: JoAnne Caza, 416-847-7550, [e-mail]

Related Links

http://www.mercedes-benz.ca