KUALA LUMPUR: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia posted an all-time record sales of 11,779 units in 2016, up 9% from 10,845 units sold in the previous year. This was 873 more vehicles sold when compared to its closest rival BMW.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia president and chief executive officer Dr Claus Weidner said Mercedes-Benz continued to be the number one premium car brand locally with a 2.4% market share and hoped to retain its pole position in 2017.
“Last year was exceptional in the history of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. We achieved a tremendous milestone as we contributed towards the global success of Mercedes-Benz, which set a new record with double-digit growth of 11.3% and over two million vehicles sold worldwide.
“We are working hard to sustain our success here in Malaysia,” he told a media briefing on the group’s 2016 performance here today.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s record-breaking performance came as demand for Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region achieved a new high, increasing by 19.3% compared to 2015 which totalled 734,109 vehicles delivered to customers.
READ MORE:BMW sold 10,906 vehicles in Malaysia
Malaysia was listed as a contributor to this best in history growth along with other leading Asia Pacific countries, namely Japan (+3.5%), South Korea (+25%), Australia (+14.8%) and Taiwan (+17.4%).
Amid the challenging economy, Weidner said the company’s strategy of prioritising customer service had paid off and kept its sales performance at a steady pace throughout 2016.
He said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s production plant in Pekan, Pahang, produced 7,882 vehicles last year, recording a growth of 2.2% from the previous year.
He said the group also offered a comprehensive financing at 1.88% and has a loan portfolio of RM1.8bil currently, with four out of every 10 vehicles sold being financed and insured by its sister company, Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia.
“Mercedes-Benz Malaysia will continue to invest in dealer network, upgrade facilities and up skill its manpower in Malaysia,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia vice president (sales and marketing) Mark Raine said the company hoped to register another stellar performance in 2017, banking on new model launches expected this year together with the 17 models launched last year.
On the impact of weak ringgit on car sales and pricing, he said Mercedes-Benz Malaysia would continue to monitor all influencing factors, but as of now, it had no plans to increase the prices of its vehicles.
