MERCEDES-BENZ REPORTS ANOTHER STRONG MONTH WITH MARCH SALES OF 20,023

Sales Up 28.3 % for the Month and 25.7% Year-to-Date

MONTVALE, N.J. – Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported March sales of  20,023 vehicles, up 28.3%, propelling the company to a 25.7% increase for the first quarter.  Healthy demand in both the Mercedes passenger car and light-truck categories fueled the increase in sales volume for the month. In the sedan category, the popular C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger as well as first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – maintained its lead as the volume leader with sales of 6,006. The new 9th generation E-Class continued to exhibit strong momentum with sales of 5,042 (up 154.9%) and the sporty GLK followed suit with sales of 2,333.

On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 50,566 new vehicles, an increase of 25.7% over last year.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 7,797 vehicles in March; a 17.9 % increase compared to March 2009 sales of 6,614 vehicles.  Year-to-date sales for the MBCPO program are 20,179 – a 5.3 % increase over 2009 year-to-date sales (19,161 vehicles) during the same timeframe.