Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler has released details on its third quarter performance, with the group reporting a 13 percent increase in passenger car and commercial vehicle sales worldwide to 594,900 units, while earnings before interest and taxes increased 16 percent to €2.23 billion (US$3.07 billion at today's exchange rates), up from €1.92 billion in Q3 2012.
Helped from an expanded range of compact cars after the addition of the CLA sports saloon , which unlike the A-Class hatch , is offered worldwide including the all-important North American market, the company's Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle division saw its sales grow by 14 percent to 395,400 units in Q3 2013. Third-quarter revenue for the auto brand grew by 8 percent to €16.5 billion.
"The development of earnings primarily reflects the ongoing growth in unit sales, especially in China, the United States and Western Europe. A major contribution came from the expanded range of compact cars," said Mercedes in a statement.
The German company said that aside from its compact range that includes the A-Class hatch, B-Class MPV and CLA sedan, the revised E-Class coupes and convertibles also provided added sales impetus since June, with Mercedes anticipating "significant growth" in the luxury segment for the next quarter, primarily due to the launch of the new S-Class in major markets such as China and the United States.
