Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) has announced its 2018 full-year performance results, and it’s a fifth consecutive record year in vehicles delivered – the company managed to sell 13,079 vehicles last year, improving on the 12,045 units that it managed in 2017, an increase of 8.6%. With a 2.4% market share, the brand continued its position as the market leader in the premium segment.
Other records that were also set last year included the best-ever Q1 and Q3, in which 3,335 and 3,353 vehicles were sold respectively. The first-half of 2018 was also the company’s best ever, with 6,790 units shifted. With 1,750 units, June 2018 set a record month for the brand, not surprising given that the goods and services tax (GST) became zero-rated at that point.
Last year, the company launched 20 models, with key introductions being the facelifted W222 S-Class, W205 C-Class facelift and all-new W177 A-Class. There was also plenty of activity on the AMG front, with fresh faces including the likes of the locally-assembled AMG C 43 and GLC 43, AMG E 53 Sedan and AMG E 53 Coupé.
As before, the locally-produced premium sedans were the biggest movers for the brand, with 7,910 units sold, a 12% increase from 2017. Models from its SUV range contributed 2,613 units (+0.5%) to the total, with the main movers being the locally-assembled GLC 200 and GLC 250, which saw specifications upgrades last year.
The compact cars, meanwhile, recorded a total of 1,875 units sold – this was a 7.7% reduction from the previous year, but the drop was expected given that it was a transition year for the A-Class from the W176 to the W177, which only debuted in October. Elsewhere, the brand’s Dream Cars range saw the biggest percentage gains – the 662 units sold last year made for a 77% growth. Of this total, 550 cars were performance-oriented models.
Local production amounted to 9,854 units of the overall total, and July 2018 saw the highest ever monthly production output at 1,104 units, as the company attempted to keep up with demand brought about by zero-GST. New models that entered into the production roster included the S 450 L and the C 43 4Matic facelift.
Dealership expansion continued with the launch of five new touchpoints last year, these being the NZ Wheels Klang Autohaus, Hap Seng Star Setia Alam Autohaus, Hap Seng Star Puchong Autohaus, Asbenz Stern Kuantan Autohaus and the Auto Commerz Service Centre. The brand now has a total network of 35 outlets in the country, represented by nine dealer groups. As for after-sales, 148,800 vehicles were serviced last year, a 16% increase over the 128,072 units managed in 2017.
The numbers were also up for MBM sister company Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia (MBSM), which offers comprehensive financial and insurance solutions. With the introduction of new products like AgilityPlus and Lease2Go, its servicing portfolio climbed to RM2.7 billion, a 23% increase from the RM2.2 billion registered in 2017.
It reported that it continues to finance four out of (and insure five out of) every 10 vehicles sold by MBM, translating to more than 18,000 active customers.
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