Daimler AG Reports a Total of 20,889 Cars Sold for the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. for December 2009

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) today reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division in the U.S. (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 20,889 units, an increase of 0.2 percent compared to December 2008. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported December sales of 20,025 vehicles, its highest monthly volume of the year, bringing the company's total 2009 volume to 190,604 and narrowing the gap versus last year to 15.3 percent.

Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA said: "The strong finish to a year marked by challenges on every front, underscores the customer confidence in the Mercedes-Benz brand and the unstinting efforts we have undertaken in partnership with our retail network to provide an unparalleled ownership experience."

The C-Class - the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers - was the volume leader for the year with sales of 52,427 vehicles, a 27.7 percent decrease from last year. The all-new, 9th generation E-Class, launched in late June, bucked the industry sales trend by increasing its volume year-over year by 11.7 percent (43,072 versus last year's 38,576). Rounding out the top three volume lines was the popular M-Class SUV which recorded a 21 percent increase in December, bringing the annual volume to 25,799.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 5,098 vehicles in December 2009. This boosted the MBCPO year-end total to 71,886 units, an 11.2 percent increase over the annual sales record set last year.

smart USA recorded 864 sales in December 2009. This represents a 33% increase over November 2009. Year-to-date sales total 14,595 units. Since its introduction in the United States, there are nearly 40,000 smart fortwos traveling the roads throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are 78 smart centers located in 36 states.

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

             Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. Sales Summary
                             Through December 2009
             -----------------------------------------------------

                            Month Sales     %         Sales CYTD       %
                         Curr Yr   Pr Yr  Change   Curr Yr    Pr Yr  Change
                         -------   -----  ------   -------    -----  ------
    Mercedes-Benz USA     20,025  18,507     8.2%  190,604  225,128  -15.3%
    smart USA                864   2,341   -63.1%   14,595   24,622  -40.7%
    Mercedes-Benz USA /
     smart USA combined   20,889  20,848     0.2%  205,199  249,750  -17.8

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

About Daimler

Daimler AG, Stuttgart, with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the global market leader of heavy- and medium-duty trucks as well as buses. The Daimler Financial Services division has a broad offering of financial services, including vehicle financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management. Daimler sells its products in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, continued to make automotive history following their invention of the automobile in 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler and its employees willingly accept an obligation to act responsibly towards society and the environment and to shape the future of safe and sustainable mobility with groundbreaking technologies and high-quality products. The current brand portfolio includes the world's most valuable automobile brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange abbreviation DAI). In 2008, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of over 270,000 people; revenue totaled euro 95.9 billion and EBIT amounted to euro 2.7 billion. Daimler is an automotive Group with a commitment to excellence, and aims to achieve sustainable growth and industry-leading profitability.

SOURCE Daimler Corporate Communications