Daimler AG Reports a 5.5 Percent Increase for Mercedes-Benz and smart Vehicles in the U.S. for July 2010

Daimler AG Reports a 5.5 Percent Increase for Mercedes-Benz and smart Vehicles in the U.S. for July 2010

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) today reported U.S. sales of 18,608 Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles, an improvement of 5.5 Percent compared to July 2009. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.

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Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported July sales of 18,048 vehicles, an increase of 11.2% for the month, with a 23.4% increase on a year-to-date basis. 17,367 passenger cars, light truck vehicles and 681 Sprinter vans are included in this total.

Impressive gains continued in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. The strongest performer for the month was the 9th generation E-Class, introduced last spring, with sales of 5,462 – bringing it's year-to-date total to 33,240 (up 82.1% YTD). This was followed by the popular C-Class - the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger as well as first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers - with sales of 5,309 for the month.  The versatile M-Class SUV rounded out the top three volume performers with sales of 1,973 for the month.

Also showing strong gains in July is the spacious R-Class crossover (up 772.2%), the commanding GL-Class SUV (up 39.7%) and the flagship S-Class sedan (up 22.1%).  The company also sold 47 of its newly launched supercar, the SLS AMG, bringing its year-to-date sales to 265.

On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 125,015 new vehicles, an increase of 23.4 % over last year.

smart USA recorded 560 sales in July 2010. In July, smart USA launched "smart Expressions," a program that allows for vehicle customization with an unlimited palette of paint color choices and a variety of body wrap designs. The program enables owners to transform their smart fortwo into a mobile masterpiece. smart USA has also been showcasing the new smart fortwo electric drive in markets across the country as it prepares to deploy a test fleet of 250 electric drive vehicles with like-minded partners in the United States this fall. From 2012 the smart fortwo electric drive will be available to anyone interested in almost 40 smart markets.

Detailed vehicle sales information for MBUSA will be announced in a separate press release issued by Mercedes-Benz USA.

*Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter Vans are sold and marketed in the U.S. by Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans USA, respectively.

Further information on Daimler is available on the internet at www.media.daimler.com

About Daimler

Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides its customers with a full range of automotive financial services including financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management.

The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility. The Group applies innovative and green technologies to produce safe and superior vehicles which fascinate and delight its customers. With the development of alternative drive systems, Daimler is the only vehicle producer investing in hybrid drive, electric motors and fuel-cell systems, with the goal of achieving emission-free mobility in the long term. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.

Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2009, the Group sold 1.6 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 256,000 people; revenue totaled euro 78.9 billion and EBIT amounted minus euro 1.5 billion.

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