New models likely to raise sales record
INDUSTRY NEWS/ Mercedes-Benz Vans says it is enjoying a record year ahead of some new models in 2018
The big news around Mercedes-Benz Vans lately is, of course, the reveal of the company’s first bakkie, the X-Class, which is due in SA in the second quarter of 2018.
Not surprisingly, it is making less noise (actually no noise) about the fact that it has a new Sprinter on the way.
Scheduled to hit global markets in 2018, it is expected to feature a new engine line-up and the latest in technology to see it through a period when delivery vehicles have to integrate with an increasing number of connectivity solutions.
In spite of the arrival of the new Sprinter and X-Class in 2018, the company has still had a significant increase in global sales in the first half of 2017. Mercedes-Benz Vans says it delivered 190,200 vehicles during the period, an increase of 8% over the same period in 2016.
This means the business unit has been growing for five consecutive years.
All model series contributed to the latest sales record for the company: global sales of the large Sprinter van increased to about 96,200 units (previous year 95,100, +1%), the mid-size Vito van gained 14% to come to 52,500 units (previous year 46,000), the V-Class multipurpose vehicle (MPV) recorded an increase in sales by 24% to about 29,000 units (previous year 23,300) and sales of the Citan van, which is not yet available in SA, improved by 5% to 12,500 units (previous year 11,900).
The company says it is also projecting a significant increase in sales for 2017 as a whole. As part of its “Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global” business unit strategy, the division launched the V-Class and the Vito in 2016 in China, the world’s largest automotive market. It says this has provided an additional boost in demand.
It certainly appears that the company is not content to sit on its laurels and it will be interesting to see how the new models in 2018 change its volumes, not just around the world, but particularly here in SA.