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Mercedes-Benz Releases Sales Figures

STUTTGART, Germany -- DaimlerChrysler AG Thursday said Mercedes-Benz-brand sales rose 1% in January from a year earlier to 81,100 vehicles, thanks partly to 4% growth in its main export market, the U.S.

That puts the high-end German car maker off to a better start than last year, when full-year sales slipped slightly.

Mercedes-Benz had its best-ever January in Asia, where auto sales surged 33% on the year. Sales in the car maker's biggest Asian market, Japan, jumped 15%, the company said.

In its home market, Germany, however, vehicle sales fell 6%.

"Mercedes-Benz was unable to buck the negative market trend," it said, adding the decline was due in part to a lower number of working days in January this year.

Still, elsewhere in Europe, Mercedes-Benz said it had record sales last month in Italy and France despite market weakness.

Mercedes-Benz said sales of its high-margin, renewed E-Class and S-Class models are strong, with top-of-the-line S-Class sales up 23% on the year.

But for the egg-like Smart car - part of the newly formed business unit Mercedes Car Group - sales plunged to 6,000 cars, from 7,300 a year earlier.

A DaimlerChrysler spokeswoman, however, said buyers had held back ahead of the debut of new Smart versions. The car maker still expects an increase in full-year sales, she said.

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