On the Dash:
- Mercedes-Benz car sales fell 8% to 407,200 units in Q3, mainly because of China.
- U.S. car sales rose 6% to 75,300 units and are up 12% this year.
- Electric car sales hit a record 68,400 units, up 61% from a year earlier.
Mercedes-Benz car sales fell 8% to 407,200 units in the third quarter, the company said in a statement. The decline came mainly from market conditions in China.
Group sales, which include vans, fell 6% to 491,700 vehicles. Outside China, group sales rose 2% and car sales rose 1%, with growth in Europe and North America. Through the first nine months, car sales totaled 1,244,400 units, down 7%.
Mercedes-Benz U.S. sales rise 6%
U.S. car sales rose 6% to 75,300 units in the quarter. Sales are up 12% through the first nine months, and North American sales rose 4% to 83,200 units.
The new GLE, GLE Coupé and GLS arrived at U.S. dealers in September. The electric CLA also expanded into the U.S. and Japan. Europe sales rose 5% to 168,700 cars, led by Germany (+13 %) and the United Kingdom (+7 %). Nearly one in three cars sold in Europe was fully electric.
China falls 31% and Top-End sales drop 21%
China sales fell 31% to 86,800 cars amid challenging market conditions and intense competition, the company said. The GLC and E-Class held up better, and the new electric GLC L ramped up. Asia sales fell 25% to 132,300 cars, mainly because of China.
Top-End sales fell 21% to 53,900 units on weaker demand in China and model changeovers. The segment made up 13.2% of car sales. Sales of the S-Class outside China more than doubled from the second quarter as the new model ramps up. Core cars fell 6% to 234,200 units, and entry cars fell 4% to 119,200 units.
Electric sales hit a record
The company posted its highest quarterly battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales in company history, led by the electric GLC, according to Mathias Geisen, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Sales & Customer Experience. Electric car sales reached 68,400 units, up 61% from a year earlier and 29% from the second quarter. Electric GLC sales more than tripled from the second quarter, while electric CLA sales rose 24%.
BEVs made up a record 16.8% of car sales, up 7.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Including plug-in hybrids, electrified vehicles made up 25% of car sales. Group BEV sales across cars and vans rose 52% to 78,100 units.
The electric GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the rest of 2026, Geisen said. Order books for those models extend into 2027. The Bremen, Rastatt and Kecskemét plants are running three-shift schedules.
Van sales rose 1% to 84,400 units. Electric van sales rose 12% to 9,600 units, and large commercial van sales rose 15%.
