Share

Popular flagship: 100 000 S-Class units sold

  • More than 100 000 S-Class units sold
  • China, USA the top markets
  • Six variants in total

STUTTGART, Germany - A year following its launch in 2013, Mercedes-Benz reports it has sold over 100 000 S-Class units, making the sixth-generation flagship the most successful version yet.

The S-Class, launched locally in November 2013, went on sale in all three core markets; Germany (July 2013), China (September 2013) and the USA (2013).

Ola Källenius, member of the board of Mercedes-Benz responsible for marketing and sales, said: "The sales figure of 100,000 S-Class models in just one year is the ultimate proof: the combination of high-class quality, exemplary efficiency and a host of innovative assistance and safety systems delights our customers and meets their highest demands.

OVER 75 000 SOLD IN 2014

"We extended our range of luxury cars at the end of September by including two fascinating and promising models in the guise of the new S-Class coupe and the S 500 plug-in hybrid."

Since the start of 2014 Mercedes-Benz has sold 75 391 S-Class units, twice as many as in the same period of the previous year (+105.8%). More S-Class vehicles have been sold to customers within nine months of 2014 than in the full years of 2012 or 2013. In September 2014, 9501 units of the luxury sedan were sold.

'THE S-CLASS IS THEIR FIRST CAR'

For decades the S-Class has repeatedly been the world's top-selling luxury sedan. Mercedes-Benz reports nearly every second S-Class is sold to customers in China, the luxury sedan's biggest market. The automaker reports that 25% of S-Class units are sold in the USA and one in ten sedans is delivered to customers in Germany.

A country comparison reveals that the youngest S-Class customers are located in China "in their early 40s", on average 15 years younger than in Europe or the US. For many, the S-Class is their first car.

Given the particular preference of Chinese customers for ample room in the rear, Mercedes-Benz has been offering the luxury sedan in China as a long-wheelbase version exclusively. Some 35% of S-Class variants are ordered in China explicitly as a chauffeur-driven variant and 75% of all S-Class customers in China also choose the rear seat entertainment system which has two large displays in the backrests of the front seats.

The automaker has modified its parktronic system to the heavy traffic and limited space found in Chinese cities. Its air-balance package is also popular among S-Class customers - and not just in China as "every second S-Class worldwide is shipped with the intensive air filtration and fragrancing option". Mercedes-Benz reports: "One out of every four luxury sedan customers opts for the massage function."

SIX VERSIONS

The new S-Class will be available in six variants in total including the short, long-wheelbase and coupe variants. Three other derivatives are set to follow. A plug-in hybrid went on sale at the end of September 2014. Following the S 400 Hybrid and the S300 BlueTEC Hybrid, the S500 plug-in hybrid is therefore the third hybrid model in the new S-Class. By 2017, Mercedes-Benz aims to launch nine plug-in hybrid models.

In 1954, Mercedes launched its W220 model which would eventually become its S-Class series. Since then Mercedes-Benz has sold more than 3.5-million units of its flagship.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE