Aussies get the Benz
“THE most successful luxury automotive brand in Australian history.”
That was the claim from Mercedes-Benz after it revealed it had enjoyed a record 23,106 Australian new vehicle sales last year. The German marque has been selling Down Under for 55 years, and has enjoyed a large surge in sales thanks to a comprehensive range allied to some very attractive prices.
The price onslaught has seen it outsell its competitors in the small sub-$40k segment, with the all-new A-Class and B-Class securing a market share of more than 19% each.
The recently released A-Class impressed press and public alike from its launch, and it is now a well-known fact that the attractive hatchback comes with a lengthy waiting list.
According to Mercedes, supply issues for the A-Class and other models prevented the company achieving 25,000 sales last year; something it thought possible earlier in the year.
In the premium segment for medium cars more than $60k, Mercedes also usurped its German and Lexus rivals by winning 31% of market share with its enduringly popular C-Class.
The BMW 3 Series was hot on its heels with its 3 Series and 3 Series GT models combining to score 30% of market share, while Audi’s A4 and A5 enjoyed a combined 16% market share, and the Lexus IS 15%.
Moving into the larger executive barges, E-Class sales were up 40% for the year and CLS-Class up 51% from 2013.
And if we’re getting really specialist, the rarefied Sports cars costing more than $200k segment saw the Merc SL-Class score an increase in sales of 150%, but it did only shift 17 of these millionaires’ playthings.
This segment was led by the Porsche 911 at 22%, with BMW’s M6 hot on its heels with 19% market share.
And while we’re speaking performance, 7% of all Mercedes sales featured an AMG badge on their rumps: the in-house tuner also enjoying a record year with 1649 sales in Australia.
The top brass at Mercedes-Benz Australia put the brand’s near 30% growth in comparison to 2012 down to the company’s new model offensive.
Little doubt this is true, but value for money is also key here, with the new price of a Benz substantially cheaper today than in previous years.
Whether Mercedes can keep its prices at their current rates with the tumbling value of the Australian dollar remains to be seen.