Daimler AG Reports a 20 Percent Increase for Mercedes-Benz and smart Vehicles in the U.S. for June 2010

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NEW YORK, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) today reported U.S. sales of 19,574 Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles, an improvement of 20 Percent compared to June 2009. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.

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Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported June sales of 18,997 vehicles, an increase of 25.4% over June 2009 with a 25.7% increase on a year-to-date basis. 18,269 passenger cars, light truck vehicles and 728 Sprinter vans are included in this total.

Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories.  The strongest performer for the month was the popular C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger as well as first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – with sales of 5,563.  

The 9th generation E-Class also continued to exhibit strong momentum with sales of 4,865 (up 74.9%) and the versatile M-Class SUV ranked third with sales of 2,124.

The company's flagship sedan, the S-Class, boosted sales to 1,549 - a 106.5% increase.  

Also showing strong gains were the sporty SLK (up 153.8 %) and the commanding G-Class (up 124.3%).  The company also sold 50 of its newly launched supercar, the SLS AMG, bringing its year-to-date sales to 218.

On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 106,967 new vehicles, an increase of 25.7% over last year.

smart USA recorded 577 sales in June 2010. The smart fortwo, engineered by Mercedes-Benz, has the smallest exterior footprint of any car, but a large amount of head- and legroom, in a fun, fuel-efficient package. It achieves an EPA-estimated 41 mpg on the highway.  In the fall, smart USA will begin deploying a fleet of 250 electric drive vehicles across the United States with like-minded partners.  Volume sales of the electric drive to consumers will begin in early 2012.

Detailed vehicle sales information for MBUSA will be announced in a separate press release issued by Mercedes-Benz USA.

Further information on Daimler is available on the internet at www.media.daimler.com.

About Daimler

Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides its customers with a full range of automotive financial services including financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management.

The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility. The Group applies innovative and green technologies to produce safe and superior vehicles which fascinate and delight its customers. With the development of alternative drive systems, Daimler is the only vehicle producer investing in hybrid drive, electric motors and fuel-cell systems, with the goal of achieving emission-free mobility in the long term. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.

Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2009, the Group sold 1.6 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 256,000 people; revenue totaled euro 78.9 billion and EBIT amounted minus euro 1.5 billion.

SOURCE Daimler Corporate Communications