The 300,000th C-Class has rolled off the production line since it has been launched on the market.
More than 300,000 people have acquired a new C-Class Mercedes. Internally known as 204 Series, the family saloon and estate are a major success for the German carmaker which suffered from the comparison with the inevitable rival BMW 3-Series. The company has delivered 290,000 saloons and 25,000 estates.
The most important market for the C-Class is Germany which accounts for 25 percent of total sales, followed by the U.S., UK, Italy, and South Africa. Despite a wide engine range including six four-cylinder and seven six-cylinder engine variants for the C-Class, as well as the C 63 AMG, about one-third of the saloon model’s customers worldwide have opted for the C 220 CDI, while 20 percent have purchased a C 200 Kompressor. The C 220 CDI is also the vehicle of choice for around half of the estate model’s customers. 75 percent of all C-Class station wagons sold around the world are diesel engine versions.
The C-Class is available with three trim levels, Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde. One out of every two C-Class customers in Germany chose the Avantgarde line and in other core markets the share of total sales sometimes is even higher according to the carmaker. This result proves that Mercedes succeeded in building a sportier brand image appealing to younger people despite selling mainly diesel-powered C-Class models.
With the estate released in last December, the sales will likely rise. However the awaited facelifted 3-Series will also be a tough competitor.
Leave a Reply