Mercedes-Benz Cars 1H sales up 8 percent

Deliveries of Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles set a sales record of 668,100 units, compared to 617,700 units in the first six months of 2007, the Stuttgart-based company said in a statement.

The Mercedes-Benz brand on its own also posted a record from January to June, with sales rising by 4 percent to 599,200 vehicles compared to 575,700 units last year.

During the first six months as a whole, Mercedes-Benz recorded sales growth in all regions.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the company sold 76,600 vehicles to customers, 17 percent more than the 65,800 vehicles delivered in the first half of 2007. In the U.S., sales rose by only 1 percent to 119,300 units compared with 118,200 units in the first half of 2007.

"The large number of our updated models has met with a great customer response," said Klaus Maier, executive vice president for sales and marketing at the division.

"We expect the introduction of the updated A- and B-Class models, the new CLC as well as the GLK compact SUV, starting this autumn, to create new sales momentum in the second half of the year," Maier said.

Despite the weak development of the Western European automobile markets in general, Mercedes-Benz deliveries in Western Europe also increased by 1 percent from the previous year in the first six months of 2008 to 344,000 units compared to 340,400 units during the first half of 2007, the statement said.

Deliveries also rose in Germany, increasing by three percent to 153,100 vehicles compared to 148,900 vehicles in the year ago period.

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