Mercedes-Benz Canada reports the company's best July ever

TORONTO, Aug. 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Mercedes-Benz Canada and its national dealer network reported today that the company has delivered 3,129 Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart vehicles throughout the month of July. These outstanding results represent an increase of 18.8% for the month. Overall, a total of 20,650 units have been sold year-to-date by the Mercedes-Benz Canada network of corporate retail stores and private dealers.

Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and luxury light trucks recorded 2,583 units retailed. This is ahead of last July's sales by 18.0%, and helped push total sales to 17,804 vehicles this year. A total of 1,600 passenger cars were delivered, which amounts to an impressive 24.1% increase for the month. The C-Class continued to be the top seller with 942 units sold.

On the luxury light trucks side, sales were up 9.2% for the month with a total of 983 units. This was fueled by continued brisk demand for the GLK-Class and M-Class, which were ahead by 19.2% and 10.7% respectively in July. The GL-Class also had another strong month, which helped thrust sales ahead by 35.6% on a year-to-date basis.

The diesel take rate for luxury light trucks was 78.5% for the month, while permanent all-wheel drive 4MATIC™ units accounted for 80.3% of overall passenger car and light truck sales in July (excluding smart).

smart reported a total of 235 vehicles sold throughout the month, including 25 zero local-emission smart fortwo electric drive units. This game-changing intelligent transportation solution has been very well-received by Canadians, with 78 units sold since the official start of deliveries in April.

A total of 311 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters were delivered in July. This represents a 51.7% increase for the month, and propelled overall growth for the division to 27.3% with 2,008 vehicles retailed.

The Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned division reported 1,176 vehicle deliveries throughout July, which represents a growth of 2.3% when compared to July 2012. A total of 7,757 Certified Pre-Owned units have been sold by dealerships across the country year-to-date.

"July was a very exciting month for Mercedes-Benz Canada. Not only did our sales momentum continue to build across the country, but we were also extremely proud to host more than 700 journalists from around the world for the International press launch of the next generation S-Class," said Tim A. Reuss, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. "This comprehensive program successfully further established Canada's importance and prominence on the global stage, with Toronto and the Muskoka region providing the ideal backdrop to introduce our new flagship sedan. The countless innovations and sophisticated systems of the highly anticipated 2014 S-Class continue to revolutionize the industry and set benchmarks in the luxury segment."

About Mercedes-Benz Canada

Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the three brands within the Mercedes-Benz Group in Canada: Mercedes-Benz, AMG and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,450 people in 21 locations across Canada.  Through a nationwide network of 12 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 41 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 35,503 vehicles in 2012, the best year ever reported for Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

SOURCE: Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

JoAnne Caza  416-847-7550 [email protected]

Michael Minielly 416-847-7509 [email protected]

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