2013 was a good year for Mercedes-Benz globally
It is the end of an important year for Mercedes-Benz. With over 1.4 million passenger cars sold in 2013, the Stuttgart-based premium manufacturer is not only on track for its best sales figures ever. Its annual production of over 1.49 million vehicles means that Mercedes-Benz has also surpassed the previous year’s record for the third year running. The Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy is already showing tangible results.
“In 2013, we have taken a decisive step forward in our strategy for growth. Our model initiative is well under way. The new ‘Best Customer Experience’ sales and marketing initiative has allowed us to align ourselves better to the needs of our customers. At the same time, we are also optimising our internal sales structures,” said Ola Källenius, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars responsible for Marketing Sales. “That means we are well positioned to make 2014 a record year as well.”
Model initiative delivers results
In April 2013, Mercedes-Benz introduced the new E-Class and the CLA compact coupe. The CLA is the third vehicle in the compact car family and the first that Mercedes-Benz has also made available to the US market in September. The coupe has quickly become a top seller: In only four months, over 12,000 vehicles were delivered to US customers.Demand for the new S-Class was also so high in the few weeks following its market launch in summer 2013 that it has become the best-selling luxury sedan in the world. This was only possible because production started up in record time at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. S-Class vehicles for global distribution are rolling off the production line here in a two-shift operation. Production is currently running to full capacity at an output of around 460 vehicles per day, the highest daily output ever for the S-Class. Thus Mercedes-Benz will be starting the new year with its biggest range of new models since 2009.
Expansion of the production network continues
Production capacity was not only expanded at the Sindelfingen plant in 2013 as part of the Mercedes-Benz strategy for growth. In addition to the billion Euros invested there in the past year, the company also invested 1.2 million Euros in the Rastatt plant aligning for compact car production. More than one billion Euros will be invested into the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, primarily for the preparations for the plant’s role as center of competence for the new C-Class. In order to align production to market and customer needs, a decision was also taken in 2013 to invest over 300 million euros in additional powertrain capacity at the Romanian subsidiary Star Transmission. Together with the Chinese Partner BAIC, investments of about four billion euros are scheduled within the coming years to expand local production as well as build a new engine plant in China. In October the Stuttgart-based car maker announced that the next generation of the C-Class and the new GLA would be produced at a plant near São Paulo in Brazil, for which a further investment of around 170 million euros is planned. However, Germany is and will be the heart of the global production network.