After ceding the top spot for U.S.
luxury car sales for more than a decade, Mercedes-Benz is
plotting a comeback with new and updated sport-utility vehicles.
The German automaker said its U.S. deliveries gained 18
percent this year through May, to 106,364 luxury vehicles. That
puts Mercedes just ahead of rival Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW,
which last year stripped Lexus of the U.S. premium crown that
the Toyota Motor Corp. (7203 unit took from Mercedes in 2000.
"Mercedes has upped its game," said Rebecca Lindland, an
analyst with researcher IHS Automotive. "The refreshes and
redesigns they've done on their sedans are going to be very
nicely complemented by the work they've done on their trucks."
Mercedes has gotten a lift from a new M-Class SUV, a new C-
Class coupe and a refreshed C-Class sedan, all introduced last
year. In August, an updated GLK compact SUV will reach American
showrooms, to be followed in September by a new GL-Class large
SUV.
The U.S. contest may reverberate as BMW, Mercedes and
Volkswagen AG (VOW's Audi fight to be the world's best-selling luxury
brand. Mercedes sold 531,382 vehicles globally through May,
making it No. 3 behind BMW, which had 607,207 deliveries, and
Audi with 600,200, company data show.
Not Conceding
BMW said its luxury sales in the U.S. rose 14 percent
through May to 104,779 cars. Ludwig Willisch, head of BMW's U.S.
operations, has predicted the brand will remain No. 1 this year
with the introduction in February of the redesigned 3 Series. An
all-wheel-drive version of the 3 Series and the new X1 small SUV
goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter, all of which
should boost BMW sales during the second-half of the year.
BMW's Mini brand and Sprinter vans and Smart cars made by
Mercedes' parent, Daimler AG (DAI, aren't included in luxury car
sales figures.
For the year, Mercedes' U.S. sales may rise 10 percent to a
total of 270,000-plus while BMW may increase 4.9 percent to
about 260,000, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of
forecasting with market researcher LMC Automotive in Troy,
Michigan.
"It boils down more to probably the number of models that
have some freshness to them within the Mercedes-Benz line up
versus the 3 Series," Schuster said.
Lexus's U.S. sales slid 13 percent in 2011 as production
slowed in the wake of Japan's tsunami and earthquake, opening
the way for BMW and Mercedes to bump the brand to No.3 in the
U.S.
Lexus Rises
This year, Lexus is aiming for a 25 percent increase in
U.S. sales, to 250,000 vehicles, which would be its best year
since 2008. The gain would come from replenished inventories and
new versions of the top-selling ES sedan and RX crossover that
are just going on sale.
Lexus's deliveries through May increased 14 percent to
88,110. Executives of the brand have said they don't expect to
regain the top luxury vehicle spot in the U.S. this year.
Steve Cannon, chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA,
stopped short of saying Mercedes would end the year in the top
position.
"We are outpacing all of our competitors, we've got great
new products to launch," Cannon said. "If at the end of the
year the luxury sales crown happens naturally, that's great. "
The company next month will let reporters test drive the
2013 GL, replacing a version introduced in 2006. The new model
will come with standard safety features and options such as
parking assist and surround-view cameras. While pricing for the
GL hasn't been announced, the current generation starts at
$61,570.
Mercedes SUVs
Mercedes has had success with the redesigned M-Class, which
starts at $48,990. Deliveries of that vehicle gained 60 percent
this year through May, to 17,735.
"We've seen this amazing bump between the outgoing M-Class
and the new M-Class, that's a really hot product right now,"
Cannon said. "I'm expecting exactly the same kind of market
reception for the GL."
Mercedes sold 25,139 GLs and 24,310 GLKs last year in the
U.S., according to researcher Autodata Corp. The GLK, starting
at $37,090, competes against one of BMW's most important
vehicles, the X3 SUV, which sold 27,793 units last year after a
redesign.
The updated GLK comes with almost 1,000 new parts, a
brawnier exterior and a refined interior, said Todd Grieco,
Mercedes' product manager for SUVs in the U.S.
While the GL's style and accessibility should appeal to
families looking for more space, the GLK's redesign–especially
the body's contours–might not be sufficient to attract many new
customers, IHS's Lindland said.
The GLK's "exterior styling still may not suit many
people," she said. "It still looks like a Subaru. "
The new interior on the GLK, by contrast, is a winner, she
said, especially the circular, chrome air vents that dominate
the front dash. "You don't really appreciate all of the
differences until you've looked inside," Lindland said. "Who
knew that you could fall in love with vents?"
To contact the reporter on this story:
Tim Higgins in Southfield, Michigan at
thiggins21@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Bill Koenig at
wkoenig@bloomberg.net;
Jamie Butters at
jbutters@bloomberg. net
Mercedes Retaining No. 1 for U.S. Luxury Depends on SUVs
Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg
Mercedes has gotten a lift from a new M-Class SUV, a new C-Class coupe and a refreshed C-Class sedan, all introduced last year.
Mercedes has gotten a lift from a new M-Class SUV, a new C-Class coupe and a refreshed C-Class sedan, all introduced last year. Photographer: Hannelore Foerster/Bloomberg
April 9 (Bloomberg — Daimler AG debuts its redesigned 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK Class sport-utility vehicle at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. (Source: Bloomberg
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